Vol. 1, Issue 3 by Southeast Express

IN OUR AUGUST EDITION ~ Inside the investment How Harrison School District 2 won a $180 million bond issue, and what it means as kids get ready to head back to class.

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MANY VOICES ... ONE COMMUNITY • VOL. 1, ISSUE 3

To protect, serve and house New Sand Creek Police precinct is ready for action By Regan Foster

The Southeast Express

he building is wide-open, light, contemporary. It’s welcoming — or at least as welcoming as a police station can be. But above all else, it’s big. Really big. More than twice the size of the space it is replacing. This is the soon-to-be opened Colorado Springs Police Sand Creek substation, a massive 37,800-square-foot tribute to law and order set to take on staff in June. The facility, at 950 Academy Park Loop, will take in the operations currently housed at the 17,560-square-foot substation at 4125 Center Park Drive. And that means more and better opportunities for community-centric service, said precinct Cmdr. Scott Whittington. He took the Express on an exclusive tour of the new facility in April, as construction was wrapping up. “We want this building to be around for 35, 40 years,” Whittington Continued as PRECINCT page 10

EXPRESS PHOTO/JESSICA KUHN

Sand Creek Police Cmdr. Scott Whittington explains the benefits of large lockers installed in the new substation locker rooms. The 37,800-square-foot space opens this month.

A transformative program

Groundbreaking effort reconsiders safety from the ground up

By Regan Foster

The Southeast Express

lmost exactly two years ago, the Colorado legislature and then-Gov. John Hickenlooper took a bold step by creating a multimillion-dollar pilot program designed to reduce crime from the ground up. Called the Justice Reinvestment Crime Prevention Initiative — but colloquially known as Transforming Safety — the project taps $4 million in annual savings from the state parole fund to finance $1 million in low-interest, small-business loans and $3 million in grants for

nonprofits, schools and local governments. The catch is those dollars are reserved for people working at the grassroots level to slow the prison pipeline in the pilot communities. The dollars are currently being invested in Southeast Colorado Springs and North Aurora. The plan was drafted by the Colorado Criminal Justice Reform Coalition and championed in the Legislature by a bipartisan team spearheaded by then-state Rep. Pete Lee (D-Colorado Springs), Sen. Bob Gardner EXPRESS PHOTO/REGAN FOSTER (R-Colorado Springs) and State Sen. Pete Lee (left) and Lt. Gov. Dianne Primavera watch while Gov. Sen. Daniel Kagan (D-AuJared Polis (seated, center) signs a three-year extension to the Transforming rora/Arapahoe County). It Safety program.

Continued as SAFETY page 6

INSIDE Don't drain those brains page 11

'Plan' for success page 14

Farewell to a legend page 26

Celebrating El Cinco

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The Bond Blueprint HSD2 is excited to share the following project updates with you! Sand Creek International School: Foundation work is ongoing for new addition – footings and stem wall concrete work is in progress. Work in the existing school will begin at the end of May. Centennial and Otero Elementary School: Packing prep has begun and renovations will begin in May. Harrison High School: Schematic design drawings (the first of three drawings packages for pricing) will be submitted this summer. Carmel Middle School: Rebuild meetings have begun to review site conditions, site layout, and program concepts. Fox Meadow Middle School: The parking lot has been bid for preliminary cost and the team is working through scope with selected sub-contractor. We will be offering building tours beginning in July - check the District website for dates. Track our on-going progress by visiting: www.hsd2.org/bondconstruction

Upcoming Events

2019-2020 K-8 School Supplies

June 20, 6:00 p.m. Board of Education Meeting Administration Building

All HSD2 (non-charter) elementary and middle schools will provide students with FREE school supplies for the 2019-2020 school year. Students will only need to bring a backpack. The District will use Title I funds to purchase the school supplies to be provided in your child’s classroom. We believe this will be a benefit to students, parents, and teachers by ensuring students have what they need.

July 4 Independence Day District Closed July 22, 5:30 p.m. Citizens Bond Committee Meeting Administration Building August 3, 10 a.m. - 2 p.m. Back2School Event Mission Trace Shopping Center August 8 First Day of School August 15, 6:00 p.m. Board of Education Meeting Administration Building

Harrison School District Two 1060 Harrison Road Colorado Springs, CO 80905 719-579-2000 www.hsd2.org

Join us on

JUNE — JULY 2019

Class of 2019 Valedictorian and Salutatorian

Harrison HS Valedictorian & Salutatorian! Sharon Nichols (left), Valedictorian, has a GPA of 4.558 and over $102,000 in Scholarships and Grants. Her goal is to become an FBI Agent in the Behavioral Analysis Unit soon after she graduates college. Sharon plans to study Sociology and Criminology at Colorado State University in Fort Collins, Colorado this fall. Joceline Garcia (right), Salutatorian, has a GPA of 4.514 and is an AP Scholar. Joceline plans to double major in Criminal Justice and Psychology at Colorado University in Denver. She hopes to join Law Enforcement with a job at either the police department or the FBI. Joceline is thankful for her immigrant parents taking a risk when entering the United States. Without their sacrifice, she said, she would not be where she is today.

Do You Know About Entrada? Entrada is a School Based Health Center run by Peak Vista Community Health Centers. Access to services is provided to all students attending any D2 school, Head Start, Early Head Start, and their siblings aged 0-21. Entrada is located at Carmel Middle School, 1740 Pepperwood Drive. Services include: acute care, immunizations, physicals, behavioral health care, counseling, and dental referrals. To make an appointment or to enroll, please call 719-344-6743, Monday - Friday, 8:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.

Summer Food Program Harrison School District Two is participating in the Summer Food Service Program. Meals will be provided to all children under the age of 18 without charge. Meals must be consumed on site. June 3-July 5, Monday-Friday (Closed July 4) Monterey Elementary, 2311 Monterey Rd. Breakfast: 8:30 a.m. - 9:30 a.m. Lunch: 11:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.

Sierra HS Valedictorian & Salutatorian! Madalyn Nelson (left), Valedictorian, will graduate with 57 college credits along with her high school diploma. Inspired by her AP Psychology class, she plans to become a clinical therapist and work with children. Madalyn plans to pursue a degree in Psychological Science at Austin Peay State University in Clarksville, Tennessee. Precious Allen (right), Salutatorian, has taken AP courses and Honors courses all through high school, including being a part of the GT Pathways Program. She will graduate with her Associates Degree in General Studies and her High School Diploma. Precious plans to attend Western Colorado University in Gunnison, Colorado and earn a degree in Biomedical Engineering with an emphasis in Pre-Med.

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Taking stock of how you shape us J

ust shy of nine months ago, I set foot in my office as the co-director of the Southeast Express Newspaper Exploratory Committee. My task was to get to know Southeast Colorado Springs and determine whether a newsRegan Foster paper would be viable for and welcomed in the community. It took me all of about 15 minutes in the neighborhood to reach the conclusion that, yup, this area was hungry to tell its story. That was Sept. 17, 2018, and what a fun, amazing, eye-opening, sometimes-exhausting trip it has since been. We went from nothing to newspaper in 90 days. You welcomed me into your worlds, your businesses, your hearts, your homes. We produced a prototype and two editions, each bigger and (we hope) better than the previous. And now we present the third edition, a whopping 32 pages chock-full of news, analysis, information and advertisements, and fun stuff to help you decide how to work, play and live in Southeast this summer. We made some changes and have some big plans based on what you told us you want to see. For the past few months, we have worked with cadets from the Air Force Academy to conduct a readership survey and get a taste of what you’re craving. The biggest takeaway so far has been that you want more Express, more often. So we’re forging ahead with our vision of being a monthly publication, perhaps as early as the last quarter of this year! That means twice as many editions will be coming your way in 2020, as we gear up and grow toward becoming your fully fledged weekly newspaper of record. We also asked you what type of content you want

to see in your more-frequent Southeast Express. Far and away, you told us you want to read stories about interesting people in your neighborhood. Well guess what? At heart, all great stories are human, so yes, you will get more of that. In this issue alone, we have an interview with the new chief of police (who, incidentally, grew up in the heart of Southeast); a Southeast resident and businesswoman who won the chance to turn her holistic wellness vision into a neighborhood gym; and an area instructor whose love of music helped him overcome incredible childhood trauma and who now inspires students to creatively express themselves. You will also hear from the folks who are working on the front lines to rewrite public safety in our neighborhood, from the commander of our local police precinct, and from a former NFL player who now trains Southern Colorado athletes and entrepreneurs alike. We think all these folks are interesting, and we believe you will too. You asked us to keep improving our comprehensive community calendar, so this time around we are including five weeks’ worth of exciting events. We are also pumping up our digital version by updating it daily and including links to many of our events, so you can share your happenings and get the details you need in real time. You called for more news from City Hall, the

Covering 80916 & 80910

county boardroom, the classroom and the state Capitol. For that, we’re going straight to the sources. Check out an op-ed from our own state Rep. Tony Exum, as he brings us up to speed on what happened in the state legislature’s recent session and how it’s going to impact Southeast. And since school’s out for summer, we’re talking with local leaders about how to help your students avoid the brain drain. That’s just some of what you will find in our June-July edition. It’s all based on what you have told us you do — and don’t — want to see. But, like summertime students, that doesn’t mean we’re done learning. Our survey is still up and running at surveymonkey.com/r/CXL2MTQ, or you can access it from our website, southeastexpress. org. And, of course, if digital communication isn’t your thing, feel free to drop by, pick up the phone or send us a note in the mail. We take your feedback seriously, and we truly want to be the newspaper of, for and by Southeast Colorado Springs. Please continue sharing your thoughts, your ideas, your voices, and let’s keep this Express train rolling.

We truly want to be he newspaper of,

for and by Southeast Colorado Springs.

Contact Southeast Express Editor and General Manager Regan Foster at (719) 578-2802 or regan.foster@southeastexpress.org

WE WELCOME YOUR OPINIONS The Southeast Express accepts letters to the editor. To submit an opinion for consideration, email regan.foster@southeastexpress.org; or call Regan Foster at 578-2802. The Express reserves the right to determine suitability. Copyright ©2019, all rights reserved.

The Southeast Express is a project of fiscal sponsor and Colorado nonprofit Concrete Couch and with the support of Colorado Publishing House, Colorado Springs’ largest locally owned media company. The Southeast Express is published six times per year by the Concrete Couch, 214 E. Vermijo Ave., Colorado Springs, CO, 80903. POSTMASTER: Please send address changes to Southeast Express, 235 S. Nevada Ave., Colorado Springs, CO, 80903.

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Editor and General Manager REGAN FOSTER Senior Consultant LOU MELLINI Senior Account Executive JAMIE ROMERO-AGRUSA Account Executives LANNY ADAMS JASON JANC DANIELLE ROGGE Graphic Designers ROWDY TOMPKINS MELISSA EDWARDS ZK BRADLEY Community Outreach Director MANNY LOPEZ DEL RIO COLORADO PUBLISHING HOUSE Chair JOHN WEISS Executive Editor Emeritus RALPH ROUTON

Advertising in the 30,000-plus circulation Southeast Express is an incredibly efficient way for your business or civic organization to reach every single home and business in the 80910 and 80916 ZIP codes. For a no-obligation conversation with our advertising director, call or text Jamie Agrusa-Romero at 719-200-8787.

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Looking back on a productive session W

hew! What a busy session. In just 120 legislative days, we 100 elected legislators of the 72nd General Assembly introduced 598 bills for consideration and passed 447 of them. (These include the bills planning and passing our $32 billion state budget: with more than $6 billion for State Rep. K-12 education, up 3.3 perTony Exum cent from last year; nearly $5 billion for higher education, up 6.2 percent from last year; and more than $2 billion for transportation and infrastructure, up 17.2 percent from last year.) We passed these 447 bills to protect and enhance the Colorado way of life; to expand economic opportunity and build a fair economy; to invest in Colorado’s future with increased funding for K-12 and higher education; to lower the costs of healthcare; to protect Colorado’s environment; to address the opioid crisis; to deliver transportation solutions; to stand up for rural Colorado; and to support open and transparent government, fair campaigns and access to the ballot. I myself sponsored several bills this year, including: • HB19-1013, extending for 8 years (until 2028) the income tax credit available to low-income families (having a taxable income of less than $25,000) who pay out-of-pocket for child care expenses. The

credit covers 25 percent of what they paid for child care expenses, up to a maximum credit of $500 for a family with just one child under 13 years old, or up to $1,000 for a family with two or more children under 13. • HB19-1085, raising the amount of grant money available to low-income seniors and people with disabilities, which helps pay for property taxes, rent, and heating and fuel costs. These grants, which hadn’t increased since 2014, are raised 5 percent and indexed to inflation, to continue rising as costs rise. The bill also raises the cap on how much money someone can earn while still qualifying for these grants, helping more low-income people receive this assistance. • HB19-1276, creating a ninth-grade success grant program. This awards money grants to schools and districts with higher-than-average dropout rates, to pay for programs that will help their ninth-grade students stay in school for their entire high school careers. • HB19-1279, prohibiting the use during testing and training exercises of firefighting foams containing toxic PFA substances, requiring the manufacturers of firefighting personal protective equipment (clothing and gear) to disclose when those products are treated with toxic PFA substances to be more fire resistant and banning the sale of firefighting foams containing toxic PFA substances to local fire departments in 2021. I also served as the House sponsor for several bills that started in the Senate, including: • SB19-065, creating a statewide, self-financed program of peer-to-peer and professional assis-

tance, helping those EMS paramedics dealing with the many stresses of their job. • SB19-151, extending the life of the Emergency Planning Subcommittee, which is designed to “predict, prevent, mitigate the effects of, respond to, and recover from those threats posing the greatest risk to Colorado.” This subcommittee protects Coloradans. • SB19-231, creating and awarding second chance scholarships of up to $10,000 each for people formerly committed to the Division of Youth Services, and who are now pursuing their higher education. Most of my bills passed with bipartisan support. HB19-1279 passed nearly unanimously out of both chambers! As these bills show, my legislative priorities help my constituents: low-income families, senior citizens, people with disabilities, people of color, students and first responders. This is exactly what legislators are elected to do. We’re between sessions now. But on Jan. 8, 2020, we’ll reconvene to legislate for another 120 days. To reach me, email tony.exum.house@state.co.us or call 303-866-3069. State Rep. Tony Exum represents Colorado’s 17th district, which includes Southeast Colorado Springs.

CHECK OUT SoutheastExpress.org for more legislative news and a wrap up of your lawmakers’ work in Denver.

JUNE — JULY 2019

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FIVE From the Capitol to the classroom, the last few months in Southeast have been all about kids.

Kids’ festivals, kids’ games, kids’ performances, kids’ education, even opportunities for adults to act like kids (within reason). Yup, children were at the forefront during April and May. It started April 24, when students at Centennial Elementary School paid homage to the school’s critical administrative-assistance team. Each class presented a gift to the school secretaries, Mary Herriott, Michele Bryant and Daniel Loa, as a way to show appreciation for their hard work. A few days later, everyone got to act a little childish at the Deerfield Hills Community Center and Sprayground. That’s because April 27 was El Día de Los Niños, or the Day of the Children. The multi-agency, community-building effort involved inflatables, clowns, folkloric dancers, face painting, animal balloons, piñatas, gift bags for the kiddos, books, information tables, raffles, snacks… the list goes on. The fun-for-all-ages event came together with the partnership of Servicios de la Raza, the City of Colorado Springs Parks, Recreation and Cultural Services, the El Paso County Sheriff’s Office, the RISE Coalition, Colorado Springs Police, the Sand Creek Library, Safe Kids Colorado Springs, James Monroe Elementary School and Kids on Bikes. Even Spider-Man and Captain America swung in to show their support. A few weeks later, it was over to Mission Trace Shopping Center, where El Cinco de Mayo Inc.’s annual fiesta and car show took place. Kids of all ages thronged to the venue on May 5 for activities that included live music and dance performances, a DJ, food, vendors, games, a petting zoo, face painting, basketball clinics, a couple of bounce houses and the city’s most colorful hotrods, rat rods and classic cars. The celebration, which involved the help of the RISE Coalition and Solid Rock Community Development Corp., was unquestionably a success. It was the 36th annual fiesta, but

COURTESY PHOTO/JODY DERINGTON

the first at Mission Trace. The party has bounced around for the past several years; however, planners were hopeful the Southeast center could become its permanent home. If you missed the fun, you can check out our photo essay in our Lifestyle section on page 22, or visit SoutheastExpress. And lastly, just to prove that learning can be fun, Gov. Jared Polis stopped by Centennial Elementary School on May 14 to sign four bills into law. The ceremony took place in a kindergarten classroom packed with students, dignitaries and community leaders. The governor was flanked by Southeast lawmakers Rep. Tony Exum and Sen. Pete Lee, both Democrats, as well as Rep. Tim Geitner, R-Falcon, Sen. Paul Lundeen, R-Monument, and Rep. Mark Snyder, D-Colorado Springs, as he signed their respective bills. With each, the governor announced “now it’s the law of Colorado,” to cheers and applause. — Cory Peterson To submit an item for the High Five, email a detailed description of the event, including date and location, and photos with identifying information from left to right to features@southeastexpress. org. For more information, call Regan Foster at 719-578-2802.

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Eye for reform

Continued from page 1

got a boost from the co-sponsorship of Aurora and Colorado Springs lawmakers, including Southeast Rep. Tony Exum (D-Colorado Springs) and Sen. Mike Merrifield (D-Colorado Springs). Its aim is to stem the state’s prison pipeline by investing in new approaches to public safety; specifically, in local initiatives that strengthen communities by halting crime before it happens. Hickenlooper signed the bill on June 6, 2017. The first round of grants was distributed a year later, with a second set awarded on Nov. 20. The next round of grants is expected to be announced by the end of June. The program was originally slated to sunset in 2020, but a three-year extension passed the Legislature this year and earned Gov. Jared Polis’ signature May 14 during a signing ceremony at Centennial Elementary School. Centennial is one of the direct beneficiaries of the grant funding, since it partnered with the Colorado Springs Conservatory Foundation on a project to promote arts education. “Transforming Safety, I can say without much reservation or hesitation, is the most creative and intriguing and potentially impactful bill that I have sponsored in the Legislature,” Lee, now a state senator, said. “Justice reinvestment as a concept is, you take money out of one part of the criminal justice system where it’s not being effectively utilized and move it to a different part of the criminal justice system where it can be effectively utilized. “Rather than putting money into (ineffective) programs, let’s find out what’s causing crime in the community and address the causative factors.”

Christie Donner has been advocating for changes in the criminal justice system for decades. As the executive director of the Colorado Criminal Justice Reform Coalition, she knows all too well the reality of recidivism rates, prison overcrowding and the inherent social and racial bias built into a billion-dollar prison system that is geared more toward retribution than rehabilitation. Her Denver-based coalition originally wrote the bill, then found lawmakers who were supportive of the proposal. “We just stepped back and asked ourselves, ‘what would different look like?’” Donner said. Colorado Division of Criminal Justice records show as many as 60 percent of mandatory parolees were back behind bars within three years. That number was from 2014, the most recent year for which statistics are available, but was pretty consistent for the preceding decade. In March 2016, the U.S. Sentencing Commission released the results of a multi-year study following 25,431 offenders who were released from the federal prison system. It’s worth noting that most of the offenders tracked were sentenced for nonviolent offenses including drug trafficking, fraud, firearms trafficking, robbery, larceny and immigration. The study found just shy of half of those released offenders (49.3 percent) were rearrested for a new crime or an alleged parole violation within eight years, and half of those were actually reincarcerated within two years of release. The most common risk factors for recidivism among federal offenders were: age (offenders who were released prior to age 21 had the highest rearrest rate, while those over 60 had the lowest); race (African-Americans and Hispanic offenders

JUNE — JULY 2019

had the highest rearrest rates at 59 and 41 percent, respectively); and education levels (offenders with less than a high school diploma were 10 percent more likely to reoffend than high school graduates, and 21 percent more likely to end up behind bars than those with at least some college). To be clear, none of these findings is particularly new. But for Donner and her coalition, it’s all evidence that the current system doesn’t work. “We’re not solving problems, we’re not improving the quality of life in our community from either a health or safety lens,” she said. “What do we need to do differently?”

Transforming the approach

The answer, she hopes, could come from Transforming Safety. The program is based on the theory that the individuals and organizations working on the front lines of a community best know how to reduce crime through prevention, restoration and education. Part of the funding is earmarked for low-interest small business loans, administered locally by community development financial institution Accion. The loans are capped at $50,000 and five years, but can mean the difference between a new job in Southeast and stagnant growth. “If a person is a hairdresser and she wants to put in another chair and employ somebody else, she could maybe get $5,000 in a low-interest, easy-term loan to … expand business, expand job opportunities,” Lee said. On the grant-writing side, Transforming Safety mandated that local planning teams in each of the pilot communities meet to discuss the causes of crime and how best to stop it. In Southeast, the team consisted of law enforcement, community

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activists, business leaders, educators, members of the faith community and those working in rehabilitation, Lee said. At the core of crime here, the planning team decided, are a lack of economic opportunities, trauma in the home and academic incompletion. The team then partnered with the state Department of Local Affairs, through which the funds are made available, and the Denver Community Foundation and the Springs-based Pikes Peak Community Foundation, the administers of the grants, to set up the framework that let local nonprofits submit their solutions. More than 30 answered the call, said Patrick Horvath, the Denver Foundation’s deputy vice president of programs and director of economic opportunity. His organization not only awards the grants on the state’s behalf, but with the help of the Pikes Peak Community Foundation, offers mentorship and advice to Transforming Safety partners to make their programs run more efficiently. “We can help the people who are pulling groceries out of the backs of their cars to help the homeless,” he said.

Community on a mission Each of the proposals for Southeast was reviewed by a selection committee comprised of local Southeast advocates and leaders, as another safeguard to make sure the funds were going to local work. Twenty-one local proposals received grants, for programs that do everything from enhancing arts education in underprivileged neighborhood schools to offering multilingual family education, violence prevention and parenting-skills programming.

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(From left): Jake Rundle, Mina Liebert and Emily Patterson discuss design and amenity options for Panorama Park on April 26 at Panorama Middle School

The Trust for Public Land used its $60,000 grant to host a series of public meetings aimed at getting public input on the redesign of Panorama Park; while Solid Rock Community Development Corp. launched its Fresh Start Initiative this spring. That program, which got a $130,000 boost from Transforming Safety, teaches entrepreneurial skills to residents whose lives or families have been directly impacted by the prison system, including two recent cohorts taught inside Southern Colorado penitentiaries. (For a full list of grantees, as well as a brief description of their awards, organizations and projects, see page 8. For more details, visit southeastexpress.org.) “The Youth Transformation Center is working on conflict resolution with restorative justice in the elementary schools. How cool is that?” an enthusiastic Lee said. “The Thrive Network and DenverWorks provide job opportunities for people. They train in entre-

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preneurship … people who are actually ex-offenders, who are now living in the community and who have a hard time getting jobs because of the collateral of their convictions. “It’s really exciting to see the types of things that people are doing.” Horvath said the group decided not to accept new applicants this year, but rather to award the next round of grants to the same organizations. They made that call so the projects already in the works have the funds they need to keep going, and the participating nonprofits have time to gather the hard numbers they need to prove their effect. That’s also why Lee pushed the bill this year that extends the program through 2023.

‘Really bring something good’ That sort of politicking is critical, but it wasn’t what interested Temesha Tucker, 14, or 13-year-old Sophia Roads. For the Southeast teens who live in the vicinity of Panorama Park, what matters is that someone is finally investing the time and effort to redevelop the 13.5-acre park that is now mostly just unimproved, sun-baked open space. Both sit on a youth advisory board for the park and attended an April community engagement forum. For both Tucker and Roads, soccer fields were must-haves, although they also agreed a pool would be nice — even if it is logistically unattainable. “I’m a child, so this will really help,” said Tucker, a gregarious Panorama Middle School student. “This park would really bring something good to the community, and … would really do something good to change people’s minds.” regan.foster@southeastexpress.org.

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About the Grantees

The Transforming Safety initiative in 2018 awarded about $1.5 million worth of grants to nonprofit organizations, government entities and schools doing work in, for and with the residents of Southeast Colorado Springs. The recipients were chosen by a community selection committee and are using the funds to help stem the prison pipeline by stopping crime before it starts. The Southeast Express reached out to all 21 grantees for more information about the projects, the awards and contact information. Here’s a small sample of what we learned. — Compiled and edited by Cory Peterson For more information, visit SoutheastExpress.org.

CITY OF COLORADO SPRINGS PARKS, RECREATION AND CULTURAL SERVICES Contact information: 719-385-5996; deerfield@coloradosprings.gov or coloradosprings.gov/deerfield. Grant amount: $120,410

Project: The funding has allowed Deerfield Hills Community center to produce a multi-faceted series of programs designed to build resilience and cognitive/emotional skills in Southeast youths. The programs — Pop

Up Play, Brain Breaks, the Panorama Afterschool Program and Teen Pathways — meet kids where they are to establish a sense of community in safety; build social and emotional skills; implement restorative practices; improve cognitive function; and build positive relationships, resilience and coping skills. In addition, funds for the Teen Pathways program allowed the community center to employ seven outstanding neighborhood teens.

THE COLORADO SPRINGS CONSERVATORY FOUNDATION Contact information: 719-577-4556, csc@csconservatory.org or coloradospringsconservatory.org. Grant amount: $50,500 Project: The Conservatory and Centennial

Elementary School Arts Immersion Program provides training in music and performing arts. Both have been shown to increase academic skills and support social-emotional development, among other benefits.

COLORADO SPRINGS TEEN COURT Contact information: 719-475-7815; info@ springsteencourt.org or csteencourt.org. Grant amount: $20,000 Project: Grant funds support the court’s

restorative justice sentencing, Restoring Success Program, alcohol and drug awareness, life-skills mentoring and leadership development for volunteers.

REACH PIKES PEAK

Project: The Transitions to Independence program provides intensive one-on-one case management to individuals leaving the criminal justice system to pursue and attain post-secondary education.

Contact information: 719-358-8396; info@ reachpikespeak.org or reachpikespeak.org. Grant amount: $60,000

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COUNCIL OF NEIGHBORS AND ORGANIZATIONS Contact information: 719-471-3105; information@cscono.org or cscono.org. Grant amount: $75,000 Project: CONO’s Grow Your Own Community Advocate Training taught 30 Southeast volunteers to take leadership roles in their neighborhoods. Students were educated on: demographics/Southeast community profile; soft skills and communication; local government;

transportation and infrastructure; planning and development; health care; parks and community space; social enterprises; and group leadership. Students received a $250 stipend, funded in part with Transforming Safety dollars; and today advocates are being connected to key resources in order to make system-wide changes to reduce disparities between Southeast and the rest of our community.

COLORADO SPRINGS WORKS INC. Contact information: 719-354-6640; hhaufe@commwrks.org (site director Holly Haufe) or jmobley@commwrks.org (vice president Juaquin Mobley), commwrks.org. Grant amount: $193,000 Project: The grant has funded Colorado Springs Works’ pre-apprenticeship and

apprenticeship programs. The program helps local residents remove barriers to employment for the formerly incarcerated or for those who face the risk of being justice-involved. Colorado Springs Works also provides case management, wrap-around services and support services.

INSIDE/OUT YOUTH SERVICES

high-risk behaviors such as illegal substance abuse, driving under the influence and perpetrating or being the victim of dating violence among LGBTQ youths. The organization aims to increase youth connectedness to trusted adults and their communities, and build youths’ skills and resilience through peer support groups.

Contact information: 719-328-1056; info@ insideoutys.org or insideoutys.org. Grant amount: $25,000 Project:Transforming Safety funds are being used to improve public safety by reducing

SERVICIOS DE LA RAZA Contact information: 303-458-5851; info@ serviciosdelaraza.org or serviciosdelaraza.org. Grant amount: $75,000 Project: The Familias Unidas (United

TESSA Contact information: 719-633-3819 (24hour safe line) or 719-633-1462 (main line); tessacs.org. Grant amount: $95,000

Project: The funding provided by Transforming Safety allows for TESSA to reach middle and high school students within Harrison

Families) program offers an evidence-based, culturally and linguistically sensitive mental health intervention for Southeast Latinx youths ages 10 to 17 and for their parents. The programming assists in developing the skills and resilience necessary to avoid, reduce or stop high-risk behaviors. School District 2, to provide in-school trainings relating to domestic violence and sexual assault; and intervention services to students who outcry during trainings and to those who outcry to school personnel at other times. Additionally, the Transforming Safety funding supports trainings for district personnel on how to respond to outcries of family abuse and make referrals, plus parenting classes for current and soon-to-be parents.

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PTEC pays students’ tuition to earn an Associate’s Degree in: Construction Management * CAD * Welding Electronics * Plumbing * Machining www.JamesIrwin.org (719) 301 301-6200 301-6200 2525 Canada Drive 80922 Free transportation from Astrozon & Powers

★ Meet the Girls of the West! ★ See the Range Riders ride out at 8:00! ★ Don’t miss the Kids Corral, petting zoo, a trick roper, roping lessons and more! ★ Everyone loves the Lil’ Cowgirls and Cowboys Round Up contest where kiddos put on their finest western gear to compete for great prizes!

For more information, visit CSWesternStreetBreakfast.com @CSWesternStreetBreakfast

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EDUCATING CHILDREN OF COLOR

RELEVANT WORD MINISTRIES

Contact information: 719-640-6633, ecocinc@gmail.com or educatingchildrenofcolor.org. Grant amount: $30,000 Project: The Educating Children of Color Summit, Leadership Academy and Diversity University promote knowledge and education to improve public safety. The annual Educating Children of Color Summit teaches youths about their constitutional rights, how to survive an encounter with the police, career opportunities, higher education, life skills and self-empowerment, among other skills. It also provides training for education professionals

Contact information: 719-635-6640; church@relevantword.org or relevantword.org. Grant amount: $129,940 Project: The Southeast Access to Opportuni-

and teachers. Nearly 120 high school students were chosen by their counselors to attend the summit as student ambassadors. Mentors and student ambassadors attended an all-day leadership training (the Leadership Academy) in January. The students represented ECOC Inc. at the summit. Diversity University is designed to help professionals and community members respond to the needs of a culturally diverse population, and to help individuals address their biases and leverage their power to address problems of disparate treatment.

KINGDOM BUILDERS FAMILY LIFE CENTER Contact information: 719-247-8190; info@ kingdombuildersfamilylifecenter.org or kingdombuildersfamilylifecenter.org. Grant amount: $129,940 Project: Through Project Right Direction, Kingdom Builders offers a variety of services for at-risk youths ages 11 to 14. Programming includes life-skills education, mentoring,

homework help and tutoring, and a 12-week domestic violence education and support group, among others. The programming offers participant youths and their families a support network and services to help them avoid being involved in the criminal justice system,or, for those who have been, to prevent them from reoffending.

KIDPOWER OF COLORADO

important protective factors. The organization teaches young people to effectively respond to abuse or bullying, including identifying trusted adults to approach for help and having the language to communicate successfully. Kidpower aims to provide 15 trainings in Southeast Colorado Springs elementary schools during the grant period. Workshops have already been provided at Pinello, Sand Creek and Rogers elementary schools and at The Vanguard School.

Contact information: 719-520-1311, jan@ kidpowercs.org or kidpowercs.org. Grant amount: $17,500 Project: Kidpower provides experiential, developmentally appropriate, evidence-based programs that teach kids and their adults how to build resilience and stay safe in threatening circumstances. It helps increase confidence, control and strength, all of which are

SECOND CHANCE THROUGH FAITH Contact information: 719-645-0867; secondchancetf@yahoo.com or sctfgroup.org. Grant amount: $130,000

Project: Gang prevention, intervention and at-risk youth services. The organization’s mission is to reach at-risk youths through programs such as one-on-one mentoring; prevention and intervention group meetings;

crisis intervention; counseling; addiction support groups; family engagement; pro-social activities; life skills; sports; tools and resources to assist in getting out of the gang lifestyle; tattoo removal; gender-specific groups; GED programming; nutrition and physical health; youth advocacy; community service; restorative justice; hands-on arts and skills training; budgeting assistance; and food resources.

THE THRIVE NETWORK Contact information: 719-844-6178; info@ thethrivenetworks.org or thethrivenetworks.org. Grant amount: $161,300 Project: The Southeast Revitalization Project focuses on breaking barriers for individuals in underrepresented communities and restoring economic health from within. Transforming Safety funds allowed the organization to launch the program, which takes individuals

THE TRUST FOR PUBLIC LAND Contact information: 303-837-1414; emily. patterson@tpl.org or tpl.org. Grant amount: $60,000 Project: The renovation and revitalization of Panorama Park. The trust is partnering with the RISE Coalition and the City of Colorado

TwoCor PROJECTS Contact information: 719-425-5424; jimh@twocor.org or twocor.org. Grant amount: $92,000

Project: TwoCor builds resilience and social-emotional health in disconnected youth so they can achieve educational goals and employment opportunities, establish personal

WEIGHOUT MINISTRIES Contact information: 719-930-0826; info@ weighoutministries or weighoutministries.org. Grant amount: $50,000

Project: WeighOut Ministries hosts a variety of mentoring programs for at-risk community youths. They include: the WeighOut Hoops Youth Basketball Academy, in which middle school youngsters learn about basketball and critical life skills like time management, goal

from the community through an intensive entrepreneurial course. Candidates are encouraged to focus on their own small businesses and create social impacts that not only bring financial gain but that solve issues within the community. The program also provides instruction, technical advisors, personal coaching and industry mentors to help enrich the students’ experience; and addresses systemic causes of economic, racial and academic disparities. Springs to engage the community in a participatory design process aimed at revitalizing Panorama Park into a friendly destination and source of community pride. Dollars support the creation of a community-driven master plan and the Youth Advisory Council (YAC). Selected neighborhood youths receive mentorship from community leaders while also working as paid members of the park design team. health routines and live safely. The grant funds up to 16 hours of weekly contact time for 30 area youths, over a six- to nine-month period. Young participants learn about their brains and the impact childhood difficulties can have on the functionality and efficiencies of their neurobiology. By engaging in structured, movement-based, repetitive and rhythmic activities, youths learn how to reduce their stress in sustainable, fun and healthy ways. setting and persistence; the Carmel Lunch Time Hangout, wherein students receive group mentorship focused on character development; and the Monday Night Open Gym, when young adults may participate in basketball games, gain competency in real-world skills, problem-solve, assume leadership roles and develop a group identity with other like-minded peers and adult role models. The organization also engages the community in connection-building programs such as block parties, events or community clean-ups.

YOUTH TRANSFORMATION CENTER

Contact information: 3719-393-7625; solidrockcdc.com/contact-us or solidrockcdc.com. Grant amount: $130,000 Project: The city’s only community development corporation aims to “reduce decades of concentrated poverty (in) Southeast Colorado

Springs through strategic and cooperative community transformation investments.” The funding launched the Fresh Start Investment Program, which trains those whose lives have been impacted by the prison system to be business owners and positive contributors to the community.

Contact information: 719-440-1983; youthtransformationcenter@gmail.com or youthtransformationcenter.org.

VOCES UNIDAS FOR JUSTICE

provides healing and justice circles and advocacy, and offers community education for survivors of violence and their supporters. The grant has funded training through the program, paid to bring in culturally specific train-the-trainers for the healing and justice circles and convened a monthly Community Coalition of Promotoras de Paz.

Contact information: 720-588-8219; informacion@vocesunidasforjustice.org or vocesunidasforjustice.org. Grant amount: $153,439 Project: The Promotoras de Paz program

Project: Youth Transformation Center trains schools to curb the overuse of suspension or expulsion in favor of restorative justice

ty (SEATO) Man-Up program is an extensive mentoring program that works with 40 to 60 high-risk youths between the ages of 10 and 17, as well as their families. Grant funds supported program materials, financed projects for youths and their families, and more.

SOLID ROCK COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION

Grant amount: $145,060

SOUTHEAST EXPRESS

practices, both for prevention of discipline problems and for intervention in cases of wrongdoing. Transforming Safety funds have been used to identify the most at-risk students and provide alternative services to deflect the school-to-prison pipeline. The goal is to interrupt and intervene in patterns of disruptive behaviors before they become irreversible.

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said. “We’re … very pleased with the opportunity to make this available to the community.”

To serve the protectors The new facility has all the elements critical to efficient and effective policing, including: private interview rooms; a state-of-the-art evidence storage room; a staff gym; locker rooms complete with over-sized lockers; designated offices for command staff; improved work spaces for sworn officers, detectives and civilian staff; a surplus of secure storage; an armory; a massive secured garage for loading and unloading evidence vans or suspects; and, for those who find themselves running afoul of the law, 12 holding cells. There’s even an outdoor fitness area for staff and a patio where team members can take a break, gather to talk or just decompress. Since, at its heart, policing is about protecting and serving the community, the architects and design team made plenty of accommodations for the constituents. The civilian space comprises a large waiting room, a sun-soaked community meeting room that Whittington said could double as a Southeast-based emergency operations center, and a smaller meeting space where people can safely conduct online-initiated transactions or other business. “If you’re on Craigslist or some of those things and you want a safe place to come make the exchange, this is where you can do that,” he said. Critically, the cells quadruple the substation’s

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capacity from its current three. In accordance with federal law, they are designed to separate by sight and sound the men, women, juvenile males and juvenile females, Whittington said. Getting to this point was no easy task. A design team studied and toured stations along the Front Range for ideas, and the best concepts were adapted for the new substation, Whittington said.

The new building has all the elements critical to efficient and effective policing. “It was a team effort from a lot of people,” he said. “We tried to think of everything.” The city tapped Springs-based DLR Group to take on the architectural responsibilities and local contractor GH Phipps for the construction. The department purchased its sprawling 8-acre campus for $760,000 and building costs have come in at $15.5 million, Whittington confirmed.

Room to grow The substation currently is home to 135 team members, comprising 115 sworn officers, 11

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civilians and nine volunteers, but is authorized to a staff of 145. And although they aren’t all in the building at the same time, the Center Park Drive substation is nonetheless jam-packed. The soon-to-be retired facility was built in 1988, according to El Paso County Assessor Records, at a time when newspaper archives show the department took an interest in decentralizing policing in favor of building presences in the city’s northern and Southeast neighborhoods. The substation opened its doors in 1989. Today, as the Springs continues to grow and push east, Whittington said the new precinct home is designed to accommodate the department’s inevitable growth. “There’s a building full of reasons we’ll be able to better do our jobs,” Whittington said. For those outside of Southeast, the common narrative says the neighborhood is the city’s most dangerous, crime-ridden community. But the commander, who started his career patrolling Southeast even before the Center Park Drive campus was built, has a different take. “We also have the most patrol officers here,” he said. “Ninety to 95 percent of the residents are good, hard-working people.” And with the larger space and a floor plan designed for ease of movement, he said, the department will be able to do even more to serve Southeast. regan.foster@southeastexpress.org

Who: The Colorado Springs Police Department What: A ribbon-cutting ceremony celebrating the new Sand Creek Substation, followed by tours When: 10 a.m. Monday, June 17 Where: 950 Academy Park Loop

OPEN HOUSE Attend the Silver Key Active Living Open House and learn about this exciting new service featuring a variety of events and programs for anyone age 60+. Our grand opening celebration will include tours of the Silver Key Connections Café and Community Rooms, a variety of senior activities and exhibits, entertainment, Silver Key services information, plus lunch and an afternoon treat!

For more information visit: www.silverkey.org/active-living

Join us!

Who: Area Seniors and Community Members What: Open House with Food & Senior Activities Where: Silver Key Community Rooms, 1655 S. Murray Blvd. When: Thursday, July 18, 11 am to 3 pm

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Don’t drain that brain

Summer reading, enrichment programs keep kids sharp over summer By Regan Foster

The Southeast Express

he days are getting longer and the sun shines most of the time. Trees are in leaf, the grass is green and if it rains on the occasional afternoon, that’s OK … it’s just a way to beat the heat that is inevitably going to get stifling. Yup, summer is here (even if not officially until June 21), and for local children that means the end of class and the start of the fun. But for local educators and literacy advocates, it means stepping up efforts to make reading part of the summer routine. “If you read during the summer, you gain about a month’s worth of skills. If you don’t, you lose two to three months,” said Nancy Maday, the head of the Children’s Services Division for the Pikes Peak Library District. “It gets worse as you get older.” She’s not exaggerating. In December 2014, the nonprofit, multistate consortium Collaborative Summer Library Program released a study of the efficacy of out-of-school summer reading programs. What they found is clear and consistent evidence that these programs both stem the summer scholastic slip and improve reading performance once class is back in session. This is especially true in economically fluid neighborhoods. “All children, regardless of their (socioeconomic status), race or ethnicity, or reading level, experience similar patterns of improvement during the school year,” the report found. “However, low SES children fall behind during the summer months. This phenomenon is known as ‘summer slide,’ ‘summer learning loss,’ or ‘summer setback.’” In short, reading of any type keeps a student’s brain engaged and can help minimize the amount of material lost during the academic downtime, area literacy experts agreed. “By fifth grade, students who don’t read over the summer and who don’t have English spoken in the home can be two grade levels behind,” said Rebecca Flemming. “It’s very powerful for them to hear the written word” read aloud. She should know. Flemming taught for 20 years, retiring in 2015 as a high school English-language learners specialist. Today, she is a volunteer tutor for the Children’s Literacy Center. The nonprofit center partners with local school districts to identify students in need of a little extra reading help, and pairs them with volunteers for tailored, one-on-one tutoring. It

EXPRESS PHOTO/REGAN FOSTER

Israel Ruiz-Lopez, 9, works with his reading tutor Rebecca Flemming during an April session at the Southeast & Armed Services YMCA. The duo met through the nonprofit Children's Literacy Center, which pairs children in need of a little extra support with volunteers to increase reading performaince.

currently has 10 sites across the city and during the summer will serve around 200 students, said Program Director Pamela Polke. Kids are given pre- and post-tutoring assessments, she said, and 95 percent show a measurable improvement in their reading performance. The center conducts twice-weekly sessions at the Southeast & Armed Services YMCA, but an additional Southeast program is slated to start at Silver Key Senior Services, 1605 S. Murray Blvd., in June. For that, the Children’s Literacy Center is working with leading Harrison School District 2 high school students to grow their tutor ranks and further encourage student engagement. For her part, Flemming worked twice weekly with 9-year-old Israel Ruiz-Lopez, an outgoing and demonstrative fourth-grader at Soaring Eagles Elementary School. The two met twice weekly for 12 weeks. One of their hour-long April sessions was split between defining grade-appropriate vocabulary words, and reading a story called “Rocks Ann.” As the pair worked, paragraph-by-paragraph, through the piece about a little girl who talked with stones, they discussed the content, the message and even some of those pesky vocabulary words they had previously drilled. Israel correctly identified the short story as a work of fictional prose, but

Flemming wasn’t surprised. “You can make the program fit the needs of a specific child,” she said of the Children’s Literacy Center curriculum. “This gives them extra support when school’s out.” Extra support is also at the heart of the library district’s extensive offerings. Maday said the district offers some 12,000 free programs for residents of all ages, and about 1,000 summer happenings geared at children from the youngest toddlers to 18-year-olds, she said. But the institution's interest in nurturing kids' growth isn't just limited to their minds. The Sand Creek Library, 1821 S. Academy Blvd., and Ruth Holley Library, 685 N. Murray Blvd., will both offer free lunches to all patrons ages 18 and under this summer. Food will be served Monday through Friday through Aug. 2, with the exception of July 4. Lunch time is 10:55 to 11:25 a.m. at Sand Creek, and noon to 12:30 p.m. at

Ruth Holley. This year’s literacy program, “Summer Adventure,” has a STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art and mathematics) theme, and engages children not just through books but with music, movement, arts and activities. Youths who complete the program’s different components can win prizes like tote bags, T-shirts and, of course, their choice of a book. Oh, and when it comes to summer reading, choice matters. Put away the school-assigned reading list … at least for now, Maday said. “Research has shown that children develop a love of reading if they’re allowed to read what they want to,” she said. “There’s a window of opportunity for every type of learning. Once you pass that, you can still learn but it’s not as easy. “We try to pair that with what they need, so children can enter the world with success as adults.” regan.foster@southeastexpress.org

ON THE WEB From summer programs to sports, and from the college learning lab to volunteer opportunities, fun, enriching programs for kids are readily available in Southeast this summer. For a list of programs, visit Southeastexpress.org.

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www.ElPasoCo.com Southeast Colorado Springs lies in El Paso County Commissioner District 4, which is represented by

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His background includes graduating from the Air Force Academy and a 20-year career as an Air Force intelligence officer, retiring as a Lt. Colonel in 2012. Longinos has a master’s degree in science education and was a teacher with Harrison School District 2 prior to his election

“

The southeast is a community that works hard, values our families and our youth, and is proud of its diversity. I look forward to continued collaboration with my southeast neighbors in addressing the needs of our community.

”

Commissioner Gonzalez can be reached at: (719) 520-6414 200 South Cascade Avenue, Suite 100, Colorado Springs, CO 80903-2202 LonginosGonzalezJr@elpasoco.com

El Paso County, Colorado Economic Development Department

Legend Effective Date 9/20/2018

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COPYRIGHT 2019 by the Board of County Commissioners, El Paso County, Colorado. All rights reserved. No part of this document or data contained hereon may be reproduced; used to prepare derivative products;or distributed without the specific written approval of the Board of County Commissioners, El Paso County, Colorado. This document was prepared from the best data available at the time of printing. El Paso County, Colorado, makes no claim as to the completeness or accuracy of the data contained hereon.

El Paso County is dedicated to helping businesses and organizations in Southeast Colorado Springs thrive. Through the Pikes Peak Enterprise Zone, we are working to improve the local business climate; facilitate growth in the quantity and quality of employment opportunities; respond effectively to local business expansion opportunities and constraints; develop and sustain increased rates of business investment and job creation; foster strong partnerships with citizens, businesses and non-profits and provide numerous additional opportunities through tax savings.

What is the Enterprise Zone? The Enterprise Zone Program is a state incentive which encourages new and established businesses to locate and expand in economically distressed areas of the state. Businesses in the Enterprise Zone may save thousands of dollars on their Colorado income tax bill each year for any or all of the following: • Making capital investments • Hiring new employees • Providing training for employees

• Rehabilitating old buildings • Conducting Research and Development

What are the benefits for businesses located in the Enterprise Zone? The Pikes Peak Enterprise Zone can turn the money you have been paying in taxes into working capital. That is thousands of dollars a business can save each year! It is about time you let the money you have been spending work for you. Who is eligible for Enterprise Zone tax credits? Any business located in the Enterprise Zone, engaged in business that is legal under both state and federal law, is eligible to receive these tax credits.

Visit admin.elpasoco.com/economic-development/pikes-peak-enterprise-zone/ Sponsored Content

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The Pikes Peak Small Business Development Center offers free business consulting, practical training, and business resources that maximize the economic potential of entrepreneurs within the Pikes Peak region. Our mission is to help existing and new businesses grow and prosper. Our goal at the Pikes Peak SBDC is to help emerging and existing entrepreneurs gain control of their business operations. We provide free guidance and consulting in all aspects of funding and developing small business. We strive to help grow and start businesses. While we cannot eliminate risk, we work to minimize it by helping clients write comprehensive business plans, conduct financial forecasts, strategize marketing tactics, apply for funding, and improve operations. Let us help you maximize your business potential.

In Southeast Colorado Springs •

Connect with the SBDC to set up consultant at Sand Creek Library! www.pikespeaksbdc.org/consulting

•

Visit our website and join us on social media to view all our upcoming workshops and events! Special discounts through your chamber membership!

•

Starting and growing business through Fresh Start, a program with Solid Rock Community Development Corporation and Weigh Out Ministries.

•

Minority Business workshops and consulting for minority-owned, women-owned, LGBTQ, and veteran-owned small business.

Visit www.pikespeaksbdc.org or call 719.667.3803

PRESENTS

EL PASO COUNTY FAIR JULY 13-20, 2019

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| SOUTHEAST EXPRESS

Whether you live in Southeast Colorado Springs, Black Forest, Falcon, Fountain, or anywhere else in the County, Planning and Community Development Executive Director Craig Dossey has one simple plea:

Take Our Survey!

“El Paso County is launching an initiative to develop a new County Master Plan,” said Dossey. “A Master Plan has such a broad impact, we are asking each county resident to complete a Master Plan survey to tell us where they want our community to go in the future.” Citizens can complete the Master Plan Survey online by visiting http://wwww.elpasoco.com and clicking on “Your El Paso Master Plan” graphic. Visitors will arrive at a website that contains both the survey and additional information about the Master Plan, including a schedule of community meetings. The Master Plan development process will take about two years to complete and will include dozens of opportunities for citizens to voice their views. However, the online survey is a fast, effective, and convenient way for citizens to participate in the planning process. The County Master Plan is broad and will examine County land use, infrastructure, water capacity, transportation networks, government services, and other important topics. The aim of the Master Plan is to better serve and accommodate the needs of residents, businesses, and visitors to the County. The Master Plan will integrate and expand on concepts from the current Countywide Policy Plan and several recent plans and studies. Examples include the Major Transportation Corridors Plan (2016) and the Parks Master Plan (2013), as well as other ongoing County initiatives, like the Water Master Plan (2018) and broadband strategic plan efforts.

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Her healthful mission

Southeast Business Plan winner sets sights on holistic neighborhood fitness center By Regan Foster

The Southeast Express

NOW HIRING

ammi Blaque doesn’t hide the fact that she’s a unicorn. Instead, the 32-year-old wears it on her sleeve … or rather, on her head. Blaque, a yoga instructor, certified hypnotherapist and this year’s winner of the Southeast Business Plan Competition, is a fixture in Southeast Colorado Springs. Rarely is there a networking, business or community-engagement event that goes unattended by the vibrant woman with the broad smile, contagious enthusiasm and ever-present unicorn headband. And wherever she goes, a wave of positivity seems to follow. It’s all part of Blaque’s entrepreneurial vision of bringing wholebody health and wellness to the neighborhood. “I want people to live deliberately. I want people to love deliberately,” she said. “I want people to feel differently.” Blaque is the founder of The Venus Collective, a holistic health and wellness concept that includes yoga, hypnotherapy, mindfulness, essential oils instruction and sales and life-

EXPRESS PHOTOS/JESSICA KUHN

Sammi Blaque posing with Bryan Grossman, editor of the Colorado Springs Business Journal.

skills coaching. She currently teaches yoga classes at The Social on the city’s Northeast side, and offers the other services online and on a by-appointment basis. But after claiming the title

in the Southeast business competition, she has her sights set on premises – specifically the redeveloping Mission Trace Shopping Center. “I want people to know that the

Southeast is a really cool place,” she said. “The natural beauty, the (wonderful) people. This is a great place to reawaken, reconnect and grow or transform.”

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If you’ve been thinking about ways to best serve and improve our local business community, The Southeast Express may have just the career opportunity that you’ve been waiting for. The Express is looking for an outgoing, motivated community sale professional to broaden and increase our advertising clientele in and around Southeast Colorado Springs. Our community is growing, and now more than ever we need professionals with new ideas to reach more businesses and readers so that we can maintain growth and successful commerce. We are now accepting applications for a full-time marketing consultant. We offer competitive wages and benefits for the right candidate. The primary purpose for this position is selling print and digital advertising, with a focus on building new clients in Southeast Colorado Springs. Great customer service and communication skills are a must, and you should be detail-oriented and organized.

Reverend Promise Y. Lee, ThM. Senior Pastor

Sunday Morning Adult Bible Study and Prayer - 9:15 - 10:15 Midweek Bible Study Monday through Thursday - 10:00 - 11:00

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MelindaJoy Mingo Associate Pastor & Director of Education and Outreach

South East Access to Opportunity A Male Mentoring Program Visit our SEATO page on Facebook

Relevant Word Ministries (RWM) is a diverse and vibrant ministry.

To apply, send your resume and cover letter to Regan Foster @ regan.foster@southeastexpress.org.

1040 S. Institute Street www.relevantword.org Relevant Word Ministries

No phone calls, please.

Alfreda Jones Executive Pastor & Director of Operations

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GROWING ENTREPRENEURSHIP The Southeast Business Plan Competition, an offering of the Southeast Express and its sister paper the Colorado Springs Business Journal, aims to grow the area’s economy by planting the seeds of entrepreneurship. More than 30 would-be business owners submitted plans to either launch or grow a company in the 80910 and 80916 ZIP codes. From that field, four finalists were selected to make 3- to 5-minute pitches April 25 before a packed house of more than 100 community leaders, investors and residents at the Hotel Elegante. At stake was roughly $20,000 worth of consultation, services and cash from partner sponsors to help move the business forward.

FIRM FOUNDATION Blaque is no stranger to business development. Her earliest brush with entrepreneurship, as she recalls, came when she was 5. The story goes that she took a stack of plain paper and a green marker, and scribbled a series of incomprehensible marks all over the paper. “I went outside and started yelling, ‘Extra! Extra!’” Blaque said, waving one hand above her head. “I went door-to-door and I made my neighbors give me a nickel or a quarter and I sold them the paper.” She’s learned a bit since then. A native of San Bernardino, Calif., Blaque studied fashion design and merchandising. After struggling to find paid

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employment in the industry, she changed careers. Blaque spent eight years at Wells Fargo Bank, working her way from teller to junior underwriter. And although she described the banking giant as “a really phenomenal place to work,” Blaque’s heart wasn’t there. “I lost myself a bit,” she said. Her husband La-Mont joined the Army, and the couple was stationed at Fort Carson. They bought their home in Southeast Colorado Springs and enrolled their daughter Brielle at Soaring Eagles Elementary School. And yet, it took time for Blaque to find her place in the community. That followed a car crash and the awakening of her interest in hypnotherapy, yoga and holistic personal care. The therapy, exercise and personal redevelopment helped heal her mind, body and heart, she said, in what became a “life-changing” revelation. “I feel like this great gift has been given to me and I’m the guardian of it,” she said. She opened her own business, but things really started to evolve when she got to know her current mentor, entrepreneurial instructor Taj Stokes of the Thrive Network. She is slated to graduate from the eight-month program June 25, and from there, well, Blaque doesn’t think small. “I knew I had to share it with people,” she said. “I really do hope my brand can evolve to this global platform where people do feel supported to live a holistic lifestyle.” regan.foster@southeastexpress.org

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MEET THE FINALISTS From a field of 32 applicants, four budding entrepreneurs presented their business plans April 25 at the Hotel Elegante Conference & Event Center. The finalists were: • Alisha Arnold with the expansion of Cupcakes and Sweets LLC, her cottage bakery that offers unique, customized and memory-making pastries. The proposal included a social-enterprise model that would donate a portion of revenues to a local nonprofit. (Facebook.com/cupcakesandsweetsllc/) • Sammi Blaque with The Venus Collective, a holistic health center offering yoga, hypnotherapy, essential oils, life coaching and other wellness programming, as well as space for partner practitioners and instructors. (www.JointheV.co) • Aubrey “Bo” Bowale of Greenbox and Southeast F.R.E.S.H., a social enterprise that would deliver affordable, healthful and plant-based cuisine to employees, residents and students throughout Southeast. (GreenbxCOS.com) • Mattie Gullixson for Joy Ride, a low-cost van line service that would help alleviate the so-called “first mile/last mile problem” in a transit-strapped area. The proposal, modeled on proven projects in larger cities, would help clients get from transit hubs to their final destinations, or vice versa.

CHECK IT OUT

Who: Sammi Blaque and the Venus Collective What: Trap & Yoga class When: 11 a.m. Saturday, June 8 Where: The Social, 3506 N. Academy Blvd. Info: www.JointheV.co

1st-8th graders Outdoor Adventures Hikes Songs Crafts Nature Games T-shirts

Start your adventure at: ppld.org/summer-adventure

Bear Creek Nature Center Fountain Creek Nature Center Fox Run Regional Park

719.520.6972 719.520.6745 719.520.6745

www.elpasocountynaturecenters.com

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CITY CON

JOBS, TRANSPORTATION, HOUSING AND REVITALIZATION OF THE SE KEY PRIORITIES FOR SUTHERS’ SECOND TERM In a letter to City staff shortly after the April 2, 2019 election, Mayor John Suthers laid out his priorities for the next four years. Below is an excerpt from the letter.

Expanding our Focus on Transportation: With the third year of historic road work under voter-approved Ballot Measure 2C in the books and the fourth season just starting, we remain committed to changing the trajectory of our city’s public infrastructure. We have already repaved over 700 miles of roadway under 2C, but in a city our size, great work remains to be done. Thanks to an efficient Public Works department and increasing sales tax returns, we can likely renew 2C at a lower sales tax rate, and still reach our goals. An extension of Ballot 2C would see us fix all our key arterials and also get into some well-traveled and deteriorating residential roadways. We will also begin a full-scale transportation study that will look beyond roads and infrastructure and look to improve our offerings in public transportation.

Addressing Affordable Housing and Homelessness:

Our Community Development division funnels over $4M dollars in state and federal aid to deserving service providers and projects around our city.

While the City of Colorado Springs is not a housing or shelter provider, it does play a vital role in helping these organizations serve the populations in need. Through tax incentives and other assistance, our Community Development Division is tasked with creating 1,000 new affordable housing units each year for the next four years. They will undertake a large-scale affordable housing planning effort, and our City looks forward to the progress in this important area.

Healthy Growth in the South East:

As our city enjoys record growth in its northeastern quadrant as well as downtown, we are aware of the need to stimulate growth in the southeast section of town. While private business is primarily responsible for economic development, the City has a responsibility to incentivize and facilitate this growth as it positively impacts the area. In the years to come, the City is looking at multi-million dollar investments in the southeast. From grant funding that will entirely reimagine Panorama Park to a $45M investment in South Academy Blvd. reconstruction, the City will do its part to improve the area. The City has and will use tools in the Urban Renewal Authority to attrac new and catalytic businesses and employers to the area, and though we can’t say too much, we are already seeing positive gains from private companies. I write these words with optimism and drive, recognizing that the years ahead will take work and commitment, but all the while having full confidence that the people who work for this City and its enterprises and agencies, have the skills, the passion and the drive to see through another four years of historic progress. I remain honored and humbled to serve as the Mayor of this great city.

CITY SEEKS TO HEAR RESIDENTS’ EXPERIENCE FINDING A HOME Responses to help shape affordable housing plan Have you rented or purchased a home in Colorado Springs within the last couple of years? If so, we would like to hear about your experience. Residents can share their opinions about affordability, housing quality, the search experience, and other housing challenges in the Colorado Springs region. Visit ColoradoSprings.gov/ HousingsSurvey by June 16 to share your experience. The survey responses are conﬁdential and participants remain anonymous. The responses will help inform the recommendations and strategies to be featured in the City’s upcoming comprehensive housing plan, which will be released later in 2019. The plan will provide a framework for encouraging the development of approximately 1,000 units of affordable housing in Colorado Springs each year. For more information about the survey contact Community Development staff at communitydevelopment@coloradosprings.gov or (719) 385-5912.

Grab a friend and join us for a fun and festive morning! Mission Trace Shopping Center will be hosting a FREE breakfast station, so stop by along your commute. 3001 S. Academy Blvd. • 6-9a.m. Register early for more chances to win an ofﬁcial event t-shirt. ColoradoSprings.gov/BikeToWork Bike to Work Day is organized by the City of Colorado Springs, and sponsored in part by KOAA News 5, 98.9 Magic FM and the Colorado Springs Independent.

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Boards and Commissions—Did you know the City has over 30 boards serving under City Council? Learn more about each board and commission or apply to serve! Coloradosprings.gov/boards

Be in the know! Find out when and whe meetings are through Public Notices Coloradosprings.gov/public-notices

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HARRISON HS AMBASSADORS PLAN TO REPLACE AGING CIRCLE DRIVE BRIDGES The Circle Drive Bridges (east of I-25 and Harrison High School over Fountain Creek) have been in use for 55 years. The City, with a little help from Harrison High School students, are working together on plans to replace the bridges. The Student Ambassador program with the high school is set to inform the public of the bridge plans and gain input from the students to create a better project overall.

City Engineer Ryan Phipps and the student ambassadors were recognized for their hard work by City Council at the April 23 Regular Council meeting. “I am so proud of you,” said Yolanda Avila, District 4 Council Member, “you spoke so eloquently and really showed what we are in Southeast and how committed we are as a community.” While the students, who are currently sophomores, juniors, and seniors, will have already graduated by the time this project is complete, they spoke about leaving a legacy behind for their community for decades to come. The Circle Drive Bridges are under design through early 2020 with construction anticipated to begin in 2021, funding dependent. Preliminary project cost is estimated at $25 million.

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MOVE YOUR GREAT IDEA TO A GRAND OPENING

COS IS OPEN FOR BUSINESS In partnership with Colorado Springs Chamber & EDC and business advocates, the City of Colorado Springs is proud to be part of developing COSopenforbiz. com to help future small business owners launch their ideas. Filled with helpful resources, key points of contact, and a step-by-step guide, the website helps entrepreneurs get started to move their great ideas to grand openings. Small businesses are a critical engine of our economy, contributing to job growth and economic vitality. Many small business owners are experts in their craft, driven by their passion to create a great product or service for the community. These entrepreneurs often are unaware of the local government regulatory guidelines and expectations required for establishing their businesses, which hinders their progress and may create a financial burden. The Colorado Springs Chamber & EDC and City of Colorado Springs have been leading a collaborative effort with Colorado Springs Utilities, El Paso County, and business advocates and resources including, the Pikes Peak Small Business Development Center, Downtown Partnership, Pikes Peak Regional Building Department, Bryan Construction, and entrepreneurs across Colorado Springs to reduce these barriers for business. In addition to the launch of COSopenforbiz.com, the City of Colorado Springs has recently hired Yemi Mobolade to serve as the Small Business Development Administrator. This new role will serve as a liaison to the city’s small business and startup community to assist them in navigating the regulations, licensing, and permitting that is required to start a business.

ere City

Visit COSopenforbiz.com to get started or contact the City’s Economic Development Division for any questions or assistance with your business needs at 719-385-5955 or EconDevMain@Springsgov.com.

STAY CONNECTED

Visit ColoradoSprings.gov/news for all the latest news from the City of Colorado Springs. Follow us on social media. • CityofCOS on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram • City Website: www.ColoradoSprings.gov

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Essentially connected Telecom giant offers low-cost internet service in Southeast By Cory Peterson

Special to the Express

ages, at-home internet connectivity can mean the difference between completing homework on time and failing to make the grade. The New York-based research and innovation lab The Joan Ganz Cooney Center focuses on the challenges of educating kids in today’s rapidly changing media landscape. In 2016, the agency conducted a telephone survey of about 1,200 low- and moderate-income families with kids ages 6 to 13. The aim was to get a snapshot of not just the types of devices and internet access in respondents’ homes, but also: How their children use the internet for academic and

CMY

Call us at 719.667.3814 to find out more!

lison Busse gets it. “You really can’t thrive in today’s 21st century economy without the internet, especially at home,” she said. “It’s really hard to write a term paper or whatever else you may be working on, without a laptop. For homework, or accessing financial documents and for searching for jobs, it’s really critical to have internet access.” Busse is an external affairs specialist for Comcast. The telecommunications giant provides internet, cable and phone services, among others, to consumers throughout the state. It also offers a program that provides low-cost access for residents who may have to choose between putting gas in the tank or the web in the house. The program is called Internet Essentials, and it offers internet access to qualified homes for $9.95 per month with no contract or credit check. In addition, qualifying families may purchase a refurbished, internet-ready laptop for less than $150, according to Comcast information. Subscribers also receive access to free digital literacy training in a variety of media, and up to 40 hours of Xfinity WiFi hotspot access every 30 days. “We try to make it really beneficial to individuals who can qualify to take advantage of the program,” Busse said. It’s probably no surprise, students of all 4:18:38 PM PPWFC Southeast Express 4.75 x but 6.5 Biz for ad 5.15.2019.pdf 1 5/15/2019

DO YOU QUALIFY? To get service through the Comcast Internet Essentials program, a household must meet one of the following criteria: • Have a school-aged child who qualifies for free or reduced-cost lunch • Live in HUD-assisted housing • Include a low-income veteran • Include a community college student. In addition, the households must be located within the company’s digital footprint, not have subscribed to Comcast internet within the last 90 days and must not have a balance due to the company that is less than a year old. To register, call 855-846-8376 or visit internetessentials. com. Assistance is available in English or Spanish

The Pikes Peak Workforce Center works for the success of regional businesses with no-cost, tailored services connecting you to employment-ready job seekers.

other purposes; what keeps families from being as connected as they would like to be; the degree to which those families are able to access the internet through other venues like libraries; and how families with mobile-only ’net access differ from those with home access. What they found was 94 percent of families technically have internet access, but only through their smart phones and often struggle with inconsistent connectivity. In addition, 40 percent of parents without a home computer or home ’net access said the main deterrent is price. This is despite the fact that, “Computers and online connectivity are becoming increasingly important to ensuring that educational opportunity is open to all children, regardless of their economic status,” the study found. In seven years, some 240,000 qualifying Colorado households have gained access through Internet Essentials. Of those, 20,000 are located in Colorado Springs, Comcast data shows; but Busse said a need still exists in the city. “We’re always working to make people more eligible for the program so they can benefit,” she said. To learn more, call 855-846-8376 or visit internetessentials.com. Assistance is available in English or Spanish. news@southeastexpress.org

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‘It's a great place to work’ New police chief has big plans, community focus By Regan Foster

The Southeast Express

outheast holds a special place in Colorado Springs Police Chief Vince Niski’s heart. The 58-year-old grew up in the Pikes Peak Park neighborhood Vince and still considers it a good area to call home. Niski Ask him about that whole crime stigma surrounding the neighborhood and he may very well have the same response as many Southeast residents. “It’s not the neighborhood,” that determines calls, he said. Rather, it’s the time. Time of day, time of year … it all affects when officers are likely to be in action. “Right now, you will still see the same types of crime all over the city,” Niski continued. “We don’t treat the Southeast side of town any differently than anywhere else.” Niski, a warm man with a big smile, took over the job as the city’s top

cop from Pete Carey, who retired in February and is now El Paso County undersheriff. The new chief joined the Springs force in February 1989 and has called the department his work home ever since. “I was older when I came on. I was 28,” he said. Niski was promoted to sergeant in 1997 and to lieutenant a decade later. Already a veteran of the patrol, traffic and Metro Vice, Narcotics and Intelligence divisions, the lieutenant was assigned to the Sand Creek Patrol Division before joining the Specialized Enforcement Division. Niski earned his commander rank in 2011, and in 2012 was named deputy chief. He holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Northern Colorado and is a graduate of both the Center for Creative Leadership and the Police Executive Research Forum’s Senior Management Institute for Police. “It’s a great place to work,” he said of the department. It’s also one in need of staff. Mayor John Suthers has pledged to add 120 city officers over the next four years,

THREE FOR 2019

and an academy cohort of up to 72 is slated to start in July. But when you consider the department’s high attrition and turnover rate, it’s hard to gain ground. “We would love to recruit people from the Southeast side of town,” the chief said. “I think we have one of the best departments in the country. We have some of the best people in the country.” In addition to maintaining a busy recruitment plan, the city piloted this year a pair of bilingual citizens’ academies geared at giving residents an idea about what it takes to walk the beat. The adult-oriented Citizens Academy teaches residents about the duties, responsibilities, policies and procedures of the department, as well as the citizen’s role in law enforcement. Connecting Kids & Cops, meanwhile, helps youngsters learn about many aspects of policing. Both programs are offered in English and Spanish. In addition, the department offers a teen cadet program and ride-along opportunities for those who want an up-close-and-personal look at the

Colorado Springs Police Chief Vince Niski has three top policing priorities for the city this year: • Improving traffic safety throughout the city, including curbing a recordmatching pace for traffic fatalities. • Improving the communications center, including bringing in a consultant to make suggestions on how to make the high-volume center more efficient. • Addressing the homeless problem by increasing outreach and stepping up policing of city ordinances.

job. At the precinct level, crime prevention officers teach residents how to minimize the risk, and command staff become active partners in the neighborhoods they serve. It’s all part of an effort, Niski said, to build and grow connection with the growing community. “They’re always there, they’re always willing,” he said of his team. “That’s what they’re here to do.”

Community “I’m grateful my parents cared for me and kept me safe and loved. Now that I’m older, I feel it’s important to honor the seniors in my community, since they may not have loved ones nearby. I feel they deserve the respect, love and care they gave to their families.

Volunteering at Silver Key to help prepare and deliver meals in my neighborhood means so much to me. And I like knowing the strong connections I’m making during my visits mean even more to them.”

Be part of something essential. Apply to volunteer at silverkey.org/volunteer or call 719-884-2300.

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regan.foster@southeastexpress.org

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All the

RIGHT NOTES From painful childhood to instructor’s baton, Southeast teacher inspires by example.

EXPRESS PHOTO/REGAN FOSTER

Jack Swigert Aerospace Academy music instructor James Divine conducts the middle school's advanced orchestra ensemble during an April rehearsal. 'I found my calling by accident,' the longtime jazz saxophonist said of teaching. 'It still gives me chills.' Divine credits joining the band while in middle school with saving his life.

By Regan Foster

“I found my calling by accident,” he said in a prior interview. “It still gives me chills.”

The Southeast Express

n a music room at Jack Swigert Aerospace Academy, the advanced orchestra ensemble — an auditioned group of sixth, seventh and eighth graders — hit the quavering, perfectly harmonic final notes of Deborah Baker Monday’s “Conquistador.” As the closing chord faded, the silence that took its place bordered on reverential. At the baton, James Divine closed his eyes, enjoying a moment that was as sublime as his last name. Then it was back to work. Divine — orchestra conductor, school teacher, former Army sergeant, motivational speaker and longtime professional jazz musician — asked his students to weigh in on what was spot-on and what needed improvement. This was serious; the students were mere weeks from their May 9 concert, and they were committed to honing their art in time to perform for friends and family. As the bell signaling the end of this particular Friday morning session rang, students filed out. A few moments later some returned, lunch trays in hand. Some picked up their instruments, practicing between bites, while others merely listened and socialized in a space that sparked creativity. At the center of it all stood Divine, talking, encouraging, answering questions and just being available for the youngsters who sought him out.

Harmonious roots

Divine was not groomed from his youth to be a professional musician. Nor did he originally have any intention of becoming an educator.

“

I found my calling by accident. It still gives me chills.

In fact, the 52-year-old didn’t really find his muse until he was the same age his students are now. His early years, he candidly admits, were tough. He was raised in a low-income, single-parent family headed by a powerhouse matriarch; his father was abusive; he survived molestation at the hands of a trusted adult; and he was bullied. Shortly after his kindergarten year, his mother Rita Fiorina relocated he and his sister Lillian Divine to Naples, Italy. They stayed for two years before returning to the U.S. and settling in Norfolk, Virginia. It was there that Divine got a taste of how empathetic, caring teachers can help shape

a young life. “I think about all the teachers who had patience for me. I feel blessed to be able to have that same effect on our students,” he said. The young Divine loved to read, and in middle school, he had the option of passing the first academic period of the day reading in homeroom or joining an arts program like choir or band. In 1978, as a sixth grader he gravitated toward the sit-and-read option, but his friends had different ideas. They steered him toward band. That move redefined him. “Music saved my life,” he said, frankly. “I wasn’t good at sports. I wasn’t good at outdoors. Music was something that gave me self-esteem and that I was good at.” He took up the clarinet. The complicated woodwind instrument didn’t come easily, per se, but it came naturally, and in sixth grade was his instrument of choice. A year later he discovered the saxophone, and his mother — seeing a talent that he had yet to fully appreciate — splurged on a $2,500 saxophone. He still has it. “She was my biggest supporter,” Divine said. “She said, ‘Follow your dreams. Follow your desires.’”

Finding his beat

Buoyed by his musical talent and supported by his family, Divine opted for a career as a jazz musician. He married his high school sweetheart, Susan, whom he — incidentally Continued as ORCHESTRA page 20

In his

words

Southeast music teacher, professional musician, author, podcaster and motivational speaker James Divine can be contacted through his website, JamesDivine.net. He is the author of two memoirs, “The Saxophone Diaries: Stories and Tips from My 30-plus Years in Music” and “Forgive: One Man’s Story of Being Molested and God’s Redemption,” and a third book, a compilation of stories about growing up Italian, is due out this year.

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A Festive Fiesta

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(ABOVE) Karamarie Gonzales twirls her dress while performing a traditional folk dance from Mexico. (LEFT) The youngest members of Ballet Folklorico de Barajas perform a traditional dance during El Cinco de Mayo Fiesta and Car Show.

Celebratory El Cinco de Mayo festival rolls into Mission Trace

Colorado Springs tradition rolled into Mission Trace Shopping Center on May 5, in a multisensory cornucopia of culture, cuisine and celebration. El Cinco de Mayo Fiesta and Car Show, the city’s 36-year-old festival honoring the many cultural and social contributions of Mexican-Americans, drew revelers from across the region that Sunday. El Cinco de Mayo, Inc. hosted the all-ages event with the help of the RISE Coalition and the Solid Rock Community Development Corp. The fiesta bounced among locations in recent years, and planners hoped that a strong turnout would not just highlight Southeast Colorado Springs but also help the festival secure a permanent home. And although it was clearly intended to be fun, the bash served a bigger purpose. Over more than three decades, El Cinco de Mayo, Inc. has

awarded some $200,000 in scholarships to more than 375 worthy collegians. Revelers of all ages partook in everything from vendor booths and food trucks to pony rides, a petting zoo and basketball games. Between the live music and dance demonstrations; the face painting; the crafters and artisans selling their wares; and the rolling works of art that were the dozens of cars, trucks, hot rods and rat rods competing for top car-show honors, every art lover in the affable elbow-to-elbow crowd had a medium. For more photos from El Cinco de Mayo Fiesta and Car Show, visit SoutheastExpress.org. — Regan Foster Express photos by Regan Foster and Cory Peterson

Reina Gonzales performs the leading role of the 'China Poblana' in a performance of the traditional Mexican Hat Dance.

Julia Duran performs a traditional Aztec dance with Pueblo-based Grupo Xochitl.

(From left) Duane Takats, Antonio Valdez and Dom Figueora admire Takats' Polish-themed Volkswagen at El Cinco de Mayo Fiesta and Car Show .

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Your Community. Your Voice.

EXPRESS PHOTO/REGAN FOSTER

Student musicianss of all skill levels may learn to play stringed instruments in James Divine's orchestra classroom at Jack Swigert Aerospace Academy. Divine, a professional jazz musician, says music saved his life as a young teen.

Orchestra Continued from page 20

— met through band, and the two set out on a 32-year musical adventure that is still going strong. It became a global tour when, at age 33, Divine joined the U.S. Army band. The couple was stationed in Fort Lee, Virginia; Japan; and eventually Fort Carson. It was from the Mountain Post that the sergeant first class discharged in 1996. Divine served 10 years with the Colorado National Guard, and eventually earned a bachelor’s degree from St. Joseph’s College in Maine, a teaching license from Western State College (now Western Colorado University) and a master’s in music education from Southwestern Oklahoma State University. He is a member of the Colorado Music Educator Association, the Colorado Bandmasters Association, The Pikes Peak Jazz and Swing Society, the Colorado String Teachers Association, the American School Band Directors Association and Toastmasters, among others. When he isn’t in the classroom, Divine is a motivational speaker, blogger, podcaster and the author of two books. He also still breaks out his trusty, if a bit battered, saxophone and plays gigs throughout the region. In 1998, Divine landed his first teaching gig: a part-time position at the Colorado Springs School. By the 2000-01 academic year, Divine dedicated himself to teaching full time and forged another new path.

Scat man

Divine spent seven years teaching at the Colorado Springs School before heading to Falcon High School in 2005. He made the jump to Swigert this year. The schools are a study in contrasts. Colorado Springs School is one of the region’s elite private schools. Falcon High is a rural institution that is part of the comparatively wealthy and high-performing School District 49. Swigert, an urban middle school located in Southeast, is facing the state accountability clock. And that makes teaching there even more special for Divine, who has shared many experiences with his young charges. “You get to see the students’ eyes and spirit light up when they catch on to concepts,” Divine said, his own eyes shining with excitement. “You’re really teaching life skills, the skills they gain for that.” Such as? Dedication, Divine said, responsibility and perseverance. “The arts are very representative,” he added. “A lot of the (students), this is the thing they look forward to.” And whether or not any of the young musicians practicing “Conquistador” on that Friday morning make a career of it, Divine knows he is instilling them with something more important. “I want them to be better today than they were yesterday,” he said. “I want them to be better tomorrow than they are today.” regan.foster@southeastexpress.org

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Youth of the year, chance of a lifetime H

i all! I am Rebecca Starnes. I’m 18 years old and I love to write. I was recently awarded the title of 2019 Youth of Rebecca the Year for the Starnes Boys & Girls Club of the Pikes Peak Region. (A lot of words, I know!) What this means is, I was selected by a panel of judges to represent the Colorado Springs area in the state Youth of the Year competition. In Denver, I was given the opportunity to share my story and use my experience to make an impact in the world. I chose to act on a topic that I have not only witnessed but had been affected by: the epidemic of declining mental health. The Boys & Girls Club allowed me to

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stand before upwards of 400 sponsors and share my story as well as discuss possible solutions, one of which began with a simple project I led at the St. Patrick’s Day Parade. My team and I arranged nifty little bags with coping skills and positive messages in them. What seemed like just a notebook, pen, and a stress ball could help someone through a rough time. Like me, many of the teenage population are being affected by depression and an even larger amount don’t know how to help. I hope to take this little, local idea and turn it into a national movement. I have had the help of Comcast to further advance my message. I recently had the opportunity to interview two Olympic gold medalists who are also working toward promoting a positive mental balance. Jocelyne Lamoureux-Davidson and Monique Lamoureux-Morando are

gold-medal winning, female hockey players. The twins have faced the adversity of being female athletes in what could appear to be an untraditional setting for a woman. They not only shot two of the game-winning Olympic goals that clinched the 2018 gold for Team USA, they demolished gender roles in sports. I got to pick their brains about what they have branded the “know your value” campaign. They encourage others to defy the status quo in hopes of inspiring a future without the restrictions of being told that you cannot reach your dreams. So there’s my section on who I am, but how did I get here? Well that panel of judges I talked about earlier included Southeast Express Editor Ms. Regan Foster. In reading over my application for Youth of the Year, she appreciated the way I wrote and made a follow-up meeting, so here I am!

I am a young, budding journalist who was given the most amazing opportunity to work with the coolest people. From the Youth of the Year honor came the next step on my career path. From here, I plan to head to Pikes Peak Community College. As I make my journey through college I hope to continue to write for the paper about this exciting transition. If you or your child have questions about college that you would like me to answer, please email lifestyles@ southeastexpress.org, and I’ll see what I can do. Rebecca Starnes is the current Boys & Girls Clubs of the Pikes Peak Region Youth of the Year. The 18-year-old plans to study journalism in college and hopes to someday work overseas for a newspaper. She is a graduate of the class of 2019 who plans to enroll at Pikes Peak Community College this year.

To inform, celebrate, educate, empower and challenge the 80,000 vibrant and diverse residents of Southeast Colorado Springs.

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School District 11 Helping Families with School Supplies Did you know that Colorado Springs School District 11 will be helping out with the school supply lists again this year? For the second year, School District 11 will be providing students in elementary and middle school with school supply kits, helping to cut the costs parents will have to spend on school supplies.

Your Choice - Best Choice District 11

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‘He always wanted the best for us’ Family, friends reflect on life and legacy of Samuel Dunlap Jr. By Regan Foster

The Southeast Express

Icon. Legend. Athlete. Coach. Mentor. Advocate. Friend. o Southeast Colorado Springs, and to the city as a whole, the late Samuel Dunlap Jr. was all of these things. But to Michael and Darren Dunlap, he was much more. “As a father, he always wanted the best for us,” Michael Dunlap, his eldest son, said. “He worked very hard and tried to provide everything we needed growing up.” “He was a great dad,” Darren Dunlap, his younger son, said. Samuel Dunlap Jr. died April 20 in Colorado Springs. He was 85. The multi-sport coach and talented athlete, mentor and youth advocate is survived by his wife of 64 years, Norma (Seymour) Dunlap; two sons; a daughter-in-law Martha Dunlap; three grandchildren; three great-grandchildren; and a network of friends, family and grateful community members many generations deep. His parents, Sam and Beatrice Dunlap, and his sisters, Willa Maude Miller, Rhoda Moon and Rosalie Morse, preceded him in death. Dunlap’s legacy was celebrated during an April 27 funeral at Relevant Word Ministries, with his longtime friend and mentee the Rev. Promise Lee officiating. Southeast’s Angelus Chapel Funeral Directors handled the arrangements. Asked about his father’s legacy, Darren struggled to find the right words. It was normal, he said, for the family to be surrounded by children who weren’t biologically related to them, but who were still very much a part of the clan. Or for the neighborhood kids to climb into the back of the Dunlap station wagon and join the family on an outing. Or, at the end of an after-school sports program, for Dunlap Jr. to pile his athletes into a small bus and deliver each athlete, door-by-door, back home. “It was just a real community effort for my dad,” Darren said. “He always was a very strong man, both physically and mentally. He was always working hard. “Everybody that he touched, they loved us and we loved them too. I never knew any different.”

Native son

Dunlap Jr. was born Sept. 8, 1933,

in Colorado Springs. He attended Helen Hunt Elementary School and South Junior High School, and graduated from the then-Colorado Springs High School (now Palmer High) in 1951. He was inducted into that high school’s hall of fame in 2008. “He used to play ball on Moreno (Avenue), right there in the heart of Southeast,” Michael said, proudly. Dunlap Jr. proved to be a gifted athlete in his youth. He played first base and outfield for the city’s first all-black championship semi-pro baseball team, and it was as part of that legendary “Brown Bombers” squad that he was inducted to the Colorado Springs Sports Hall of Fame in 2014. “My dad was an amazing baseball player,” Darren said. “I don’t think there is a position he didn’t play,” Michael said. The patriarch’s semi-professional baseball career came to an end when he was injured while breaking up an altercation between two friends, Darren said. Dunlap Jr. had caught the eye of major league teams, but the injury was to his hand and he couldn’t close a mitt completely afterward. So he committed his talents to helping young athletes become their best, his son added. “That’s my dad,” Darren said. “He always put people first.”

COURTESY PHOTO

From his early days as a Brown Bomber to his time as the District 11 Liasion, Samuel Dunlap Jr. was an icon. His reach was especially felt in Southeast, where he was the coach of the now-shuttered South Junior High. Dunlap died in April at age 85.

programs to keep kids active, healthy and strong. The programs became a family affair, with Norma’s support and partnership, and the sons’ assistance. Dunlap Jr. served on boards for many organizations committed to Colorado Springs youngsters, including Outward Bound and the Salvation

He was just always looking for some way to help young individuals. That was his calling. Right to the end, he was thinking, how could he help some other young kids? — Michael Dunlap

A heart for community

Dunlap Jr. found a calling — and a career that spanned decades — in 1968, when he was hired as the first black community liaison and first African-American baseball coach for Colorado Springs School District 11. At the then-South Junior High School, he coached basketball, wrestling and track, and both of his sons said he was a tough trainer, but a fair one. “He would cut us both,” Michael said with a grin. “I think he did OK.” Dunlap Jr. was as dedicated to his student athletes’ success as he was to that of his own sons, both men said. He started after-school and summer

Samuel Dunlap Jr.

Army. He also served on the Mayor’s Advisory Committee and was a recreation specialist at the city Parks and Recreation Department, according to his Colorado Springs/Palmer High School Hall of Fame biography. The brothers each, individually, described their father’s motivation in one word: “community.” “He showed (others) that kind of love when they didn’t have that,” Darren said. “He just got the best out of kids.” “I could see the impact he had on other kids,” Michael said. “It was important to us to share my dad and my mom, too. “He was just always looking for some way to help young individuals,” Michael continued. “That was his calling. Right to the end, he was

thinking, how could he help some other young kids?” His commitment to community youth earned Dunlap Jr. the prestigious Col. F. Don Miller Sports Service Award in 2011. The recognition is granted to “those locally dedicated to the importance of sports in building young lives,” according to documentation provided by Colorado Springs Sports Corp., which presents the award. In the commendation, the organization recognized Dunlap Jr. as “a pioneer … a community liaison, coach and contributor to kids and their families.” One of his many student-athletes and mentees was state Rep. Tony Exum, D-Colorado Springs. The representative was unable to attend Dunlap Jr.’s funeral, but he sent a letter that a family member read at the gathering. He provided a copy of the letter to the Express. In it, he referred to Dunlap as much more than just his softball coach. “He was a mentor, an encourager, a father figure, a friend,” Exum wrote, noting that Dunlap Jr. wasn’t afraid to use some tough love when necessary. Appropriately, Exum included a sports analogy. “In baseball and softball, when coaches need a critical base hit, they put in their best/most consistent hitter. Someone the coach can count on,” he wrote. “Sam was that critical/best/most consistent substitute — one the entire Colorado Springs community could rely on.”

JUNE — JULY 2019

Living legacies

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ful man, retired in 2017 after more than three decades working first with developmentally disabled adults in Pueblo and later for 21 years as a Cañon City-based therapist and supervisor for the Department of Corrections. Darren Dunlap, whose warm laugh transcends telephone lines, spent many years working in the hospitality industry and is now a manager at a Family Dollar store. Both brothers said their parents’ commitment to community helped shape their career paths. So what would their father think of the accolades and remembrances that have flooded their homes from as far away as Louisiana in recent weeks? He would have been gracious, his sons agreed, but humble about it. Meaning, he would have handled it the same way he lived. “He would be appreciative to see what the world has to say about him, but he was pretty humble,” Michael said. “I think he would quickly say, ‘It’s not about me. … Thank you for acknowledging these things, but how can we give this back’” to the community?

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Of Dunlap Jr.’s many accomplishments, perhaps the most poignant is the Samida House Group Center for Abused and Neglected Boys. He had long imagined having a boys’ ranch, where at-risk and in-need children could live, attend school and work with animals, Michael said. That didn’t quite pan out, although both sons recalled the family having a small acreage in the Hillside neighborhood on which they kept cows, pigs and horses. But Dunlap Jr. and his sons did provide a safe place for kids via the Samida House, which secretary of state and IRS records show he formed in the mid ’80s. Dunlap Jr. launched the home about the same time his eldest son graduated college. Working with kids at the home inspired Michael to attend graduate school and become a therapist. “You could just see that they needed that opportunity in their lives,” he said of the youths at the Samida House. It’s not hard to see that both sons carry on their father’s legacy. Michael Dunlap, a soft-spoken and thought-

All Panthers great and small

EXPRESS PHOTOS/CORY PETERSON

(TOP): Harrison High School junior Tyrese VanHorne (left) accepts the baton from sophomore Jaseim Mitchell during a May 16 training session. The Panthers finished fifth in Denver in the Colorado High School Athletic Association State Championships Class 4A Boys 4x100 relay. (BOTTOM): Allyson Graham, 7, (right) shrieks with laughter as she prepares to pass off the baton during an Aquaman-themed relay race May 17 at Centennial Elementary School. The younger Panthers' field day consisted of games and contests with superhero themes.

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Playbook for success

Former Bronco, entrepreneur shares lessons from the game of life

By Regan Foster

The Southeast Express

ntwon Burton lives by the playbook. “Every offensive football play is for the touchdown,” he said. “Every defensive play is designed to stop you for zero gain or a loss.” What matters, he told a small-but-enthusiastic crowd at the Colorado Springs Black Chamber of Commerce’s inaugural business expo in April, is how you respond. “You have to reinvent yourself. Every time you level up in life, you have to be a better version of yourself,” he said. The 35-year-old former defensive tackle followed that model out of poverty, into college, onto the Temple University gridiron and eventually all the way to the hallowed turf of Denver’s Mile High Stadium. After retiring from the NFL, he reinvented himself as an entrepreneur and opened Next Level Performance in Pueblo, where he trains 186 athletes from across the Front Range. He also operates his own media company. “I train 9-year-olds, 70-year-olds,

hockey, lacrosse, tennis,” he said. Now, in his most recent iteration, Burton has added to his busy schedule the title of executive director of the Professional Bull Riders’ PBR Sport Performance Center. The 18,000-square-foot facility opened May 3 in Pueblo. It may seem like an odd jump, moving from the gridiron to the arena, but for Burton, “Being athletic is athletic. Your core is your core, your strength is your strength.” And strength — both physical and psychological — is something Burton has to spare. He spoke candidly of a challenging childhood in Buffalo, New York. His parents were estranged, he told expo attendees, and he had little contact with his father during his early years. That changed at 11, when Burton was sent to live with his dad. His father, Burton said, “resented” him. His home life was chaotic and abusive. He was told he wouldn’t amount to much. He found his escape through sports. “The first time I played football, he didn’t even know that I played,” Burton said of his father.

“I know what it feels like to feel inadequate. I know what it feels like to be alone.” His solution? “Push past it.” Football carried him first to Erie Community College in Orchard Park, New York, then to Temple University in Philadelphia. There, his 96 tackles in 22 games (16 of which he started), earned him a draft rating. Eventually the agents started calling, and Burton found his way to Denver as a free agent. He joined the active roster on Nov. 12, 2006, and made a professional debut with an assisted tackle that same day. He played two seasons (2006 and ’07) with the Broncos, bounced between the Cincinnati Bengals, the Kansas City Chiefs and the then-St. Louis Rams in 2008, and finished his NFL career with the Carolina Panthers in 2009. Burton and his wife eventually settled in her hometown of Pueblo, where he went into business for himself. Through all the adversity and challenges, Burton said, he never doubted himself. And that unflappable sense of self and desire to make

EXPRESS PHOTO/REGAN FOSTER

Antwon Burton addresses the Colorado Springs Black Chamber of Commerce's inaugural business expo.

a positive impact have resulted in a man who is capable of influencing both new entrepreneurs and up-andcoming athletes. “I’m kind of living my dream,” he told the audience at the DoubleTree by Hilton. “I can do what I want to do. I can mentor people, I can put myself in a position of leadership. “If you are a positive person and you do good things, if you carry yourself with integrity, you can and do influence people.” regan.foster@southeastexpress.org

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Providing Access to Opportunity UCCS, PPCC, and Colorado College students have unlimited access to bus service. Any bus, any time with just a swipe of their student ID card. Whether you need to get to school, work, or a doctor’s appointment Mountain Metro can help. Providing more routes, more service, more options.

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STATEStampede Southeast Colorado Springs athletes took their A-games to Denver May 16, 17 and 18 for the Colorado High School Athletic Association’s coed State Track and Field Championships. What they brought home was some heavy metal and bragging rights. The Harrison High School Panthers roared at the state meet, qualifying 13 students in as many events and brining home a trunk-full of honors. Powerhouse girls sprinter Ereana McCallister blasted her way to the top of the Division 4A 100-meter dash, claiming the championship in 12.37 seconds. The senior, who recently signed to Iowa Western Community College in Council Bluffs, Iowa, brought home an additional solo medal in the 200 (fourth, 25.41); and a pair of relay recognitions with team mates Ayauna Smith (a sophomore), Kaija Johnson and Adriana Vasquez (both juniors). The relay squad clinched third place medals in the 4x100 (49.15) and the 4x200 (1:44.04). Junior Tyrese VanHorne set a blistering pace for his male teammates, securing the silver in both the boy’s 100 with a 10.81-second finish and in the 400 (48.21). He also clinched a fourth-place medal in the 200 (21.77) and mounted the pedestal a fourth time — this time with partners Devon Washington, Jasseim Mitchell and Darius Cheatom — for a fifth place finish in the boy’s 4x100 relay (43.09 seconds). Senior Cheatom soared to a solo spot on the podium in the triple jump, claiming fourth place with a whopping 44-foot, 4 ½-inch blast across the sand. Washington, a senior, earned sixth place honors for his strong showing in the 400 (49.86), and finished in the money with the ninth-fastest time (42.69) in the 300-meter hurdles. Fellow senior Sergio Alvarado also leapt his way onto the podium in the 300 hurdles, finishing with a 41.49 time and clinching the seventh-place spot. On the field side, Mitchell flew to a seventh-place

finish in the long jump with a 22-foot, ¾-inch leap. That landed him one placing above and a quarter-inch farther than Cheatom (eighth, 22 ½). The Sierra High School Stallions did some stampeding of their own. Senior Gya’ni Sami won the school’s top award, claiming the silver in the 4A girls discus, with a massive 131foot, 8-inch toss. She capped her final high school season with a ninth-place finish in the girls shot put (37 feet). The boys’ relay squad of seniors Blake Brooks, Connar Burgess and Tristan Burris and junior Elijah Smith brought home the fifth place honors in a competitive boys 4x200 (1:30.01). Their female teammates likewise proved their mettel, and won some medals, in the relays. The squad of sophomore Kiana Wardrett and seniors Taleisha McMiller, Natalie Pollock and Daejuana Rhoads earned a sixthplace finish in the 800 sprint medley, finishing with a 1-minute, 51.2-second time. The same team returned to the podium in the girls 4x200 (1:46.54) to celebrate its the seventh-place finish. Mitchell High School’s Daryon Wilson wowed in the long jump. The sophomore’s 22-5½ leap earned him a fifth-place spot on the podium and the distinction of being the school’s top finisher. In the 5A division, the Palmer High School Terrors did a bit of terrorizing, earning a handful of medals in both the girls and boys events. Senior Elijah Brown capped his high school career as the school’s top performer. He claimed both the fifth place spot in the boys 300 hurdles (38.66) and sixth in the 110 hurdles (14.73). Juniors Keyanda Bolton and Gus McIntyre also brought home fifth place honors for the Terrors, albeit in very different divisions. Bolton bolted to her win in the girls 200 meter dash (24.92), while McIntyre stayed the course and secured his medal in the boys

COURTESY PHOTO/CORY PETERSON

Ereana McCallister digs deep during a practice sprint at Harrison High School. The senior won state gold in the Colorado High School Athletic Association girls 100-meter dash.

3,200-meter run (9:33.43). And a trio of Palmer runners dominated the Mixed 100 Meter Dash Special Olympics. Sophomore Braxton Morgan-Miranda flew to the gold medal with a 13.81-second time; junior John Smith (14.05) finished third; and junior Wendell Renteira (14.25) was hot on his heels to claim the fourth-place medal. — Compiled by Cory Peterson

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JUNE — JULY 2019

Southeast Express

CALENDAR — Compiled by Regan Foster The Southeast Express publishes events, meetings and notices of general interest for free both in print and online. Digital notices are updated on Fridays.

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June 1

Meet me in the Park III Community Party 3-6 p.m., Panorama Park, 4540 Fenton Road.

To submit an item for consideration, email regan.foster@southeastexpress.org. Items for electronic consideration must be received by 5 p.m. the preceding Thursday; items for consideration in our print edition must be received by 5 p.m. the last Monday of the month. The Express reserves the right to edit content for style and clarity, and to determine suitability for publication.

June 7

Park After Dark Cinema!

June 2

June 13

June 3

June 14

Art and Soul Colorado Springs: 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., Hotel Elegante Conference & Event Center, 2886 S. Circle Drive; artandsoulrereat.com. Summer camp at the Boys & Girls Clubs of the Pikes Peak Region Session 1: 7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., E.A. Tutt Club, 1455 Chelton Road; $60 per day, $195 per week, bgcppr.org/enrollment-process.

June 4

Nature Detectives: 10:30 a.m., Ruth Holley Library, 685 N. Murray Blvd. and 3 p.m., Sand Creek Library, 1821 S. Academy Blvd. Harrison School District 2 Board of Education work session: 5:30 p.m., District Administration Building, 1060 Harrison Road.

June 5

"Jumanji" (1995), 7 p.m. Deerfield Hills Park, 4290 Deerfield Hills Road.

Colorado College Faculty Artist Concert: 2:30 p.m., Packard Hall, 5 W. Cache La Poudre St.; $5-$35.

June 10

YMCA basketball camp begins: 9 to 11:30 a.m. Southeast & Armed Services YMCA, 2190 Jet Wing Drive; $75-$90.

June 11

Critters Galore!: 3 p.m., Sand Creek Library, 1821 S. Academy Blvd.

June 12

Galaxy Art for kids 7 and older: 3 p.m., Sand Creek Library, 1821 S. Academy Blvd. Colorado Springs School District 11 Board of Education meeting: 6:30-10 p.m., D11 Administration Building, 1115 N. El Paso St.

YMCA soccer camp: 9 to 11:30 a.m. Southeast & Armed Services YMCA, 2190 Jet Wing Drive; $75-$90. DIY Optical Illusions: 10:30 a.m., Ruth Holley Library, 685 N. Murray Blvd.

June 25

Colorado Springs City Council meeting: 1 p.m. City Hall, 107 N. Nevada Ave.

June 26

June 16

June 27

Colorado College Summer Concert Series, “A Family Affair”: 7:30 p.m., Packard Hall, 5 W. Cache La Poudre St.; $5-$25.

June 17

June 18

Colorado Springs School District 11 Adult and Family Education graduation: 7 p.m., Roy J. Wasson Academic Campus, 2115 Afton Way.

June 24

Juneteenth Festival, “More than Freedom”: noon to 6 p.m., Colorado College Hybl Community Center, 1107 N. Nevada Ave.

June 6

June 9

getINVOLVED

June 15

Summer Coyote Projects with Concrete Couch, “Adventure Play”: 9 a.m. to noon, Concrete Coyote, 1100 S. Royer St.; 719-313-7694, steve@concretecouch.org or concretecouch.org.

RISE Coalition Youth Violence Prevention Summerfest 2019: noon to 4 p.m., Mission Trace, 3031 S. Academy Blvd.

Independence Day Sixth annual Southside/K-Land Fourth of July Barbecue: 1 to 11 p.m., John Adams Elementary School, 2101 Manitoba Drive; donations accepted, eventbrite.com.

Galaxy Art for kids 7 and older: 4 p.m., Ruth Holley Library, 685 N. Murray Blvd.

Colorado Springs School District 11 Board of Education work session: 4 to 6 p.m.: D11 Administration Building, 1115 N. El Paso St.

June 8

July 4th

Space Adventure: 3 p.m., Sand Creek Library, 1821 S. Academy Blvd. Candy Sushi: 2 p.m., Ruth Holley Library, 685 N. Murray Blvd.

Stories from the Stars: 3 p.m., Sand Creek Library, 1821 S. Academy Blvd.

June 19

Pikes Peak Workforce Center Southeast hours: 3 to 7 p.m., Southeast & Armed Services YMCA, 2190 Jet Wing Drive; 622-3597 or ppwfc.org.

June 20

Cardboard Creations: 3 p.m., Sand Creek Library, 1821 S. Academy Blvd. Harrison School District 2 Board of Education meeting: 6 p.m., District Administration Building, 1060 Harrison Road.

June 21

CONO First Day of Summer Block Party: 5 p.m., Council of Neighbors and Organizations, 1506 N. Hancock Ave.

June 22

Doodling and Drawing for kids 7 and older: 3 p.m., Sand Creek Library, 1821 S. Academy Blvd. LEGO Engineering: 3 p.m., Sand Creek Library, 1821 S. Academy Blvd.

June 28

Care & Share Mobile Food Pantry: 11 a.m. to noon, Deerfield Hills Community Center and Spray Ground, 4290 Deerfield Hills Road.

June 29

Fort Carson Freedom Fest: 2 to 10:30 p.m., Iron Horse Park, 6151 Elwell St., Fort Carson; $5-$20, carsonfreedomfest.com.

June 30

PopCycle Family Ride: 1 to 3 p.m., America the Beautiful Park, 126 Cimino Drive.

July 1

Summer Coyote Projects with Concrete Couch, “Music”: 9 a.m. to noon, Concrete Coyote, 1100 S. Royer St.; 719-313-7694, steve@concretecouch. org or concretecouch.org.

July 2

Open Bible Baptist Church Food Pantry: 6 to 7:30 p.m., Open Bible Baptist Church, 824 S. Union Blvd.

July 3

Concert, “Levi and Rifkin”: 6:30 to 8:30 p.m., Hillside Gardens and Events Center, 1006 S. Institute St.; $7, hillsidegardensandevents.com.

“Mental Health is Wealth” Community Forum: Noon to 3 p.m., Urbanites of the Pikes Peak Region, 506 E. Moreno Ave.

July 5

June 23

July 6

NAACP general membership meeting: 3 to 4 p.m., Sand Creek Library, 1821 S. Academy Blvd.

The Southeast Express gladly considers community-engagement announcements for inclusion in the community calendar and listings. Please email your items to news@southestexpress.org and include “calendar” in the subject line.

First Friday Downtown: 5 to 8 p.m., various venues; downtowncos.com/ event/firstfriday. Colorado Springs Art & Music Festival: 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., America the Beautiful Park, 126 Cimino Drive.

@SoutheastExpressNews @SEExpressNews

SOUTHEAST EXPRESS |

OPINION

CALENDAR

BUSINESS

LIFESTYLES

In Your Words

What sort of events or programs would you like to see, to build community in Southeast this summer?

Elsa Bruno

Rich Barhan

“More things like (block parties and movie nights). And build awareness: Make it easy for people to learn all about these great things, because it can be hard to find out what’s happening.”

“I’m involved in my church and I would like to see more functions revolving around that. We could have picnics or concerts; maybe even some sermons about (community building).”

Engineer

SPORTS

NEWS

JUNE — JULY 2019

t s a e h t ou S

Spotted in

Cook and student

EXPRESS PHOTO/REGAN FOSTER

Jonathan Ray

Ruby Silva

“Events that are adult- and child-friendly; anything that we can take our children to. Outdoor music is awesome.”

“Carnivals. They always have carnivals on the other side of town. It’s summertime, school’s out, get the kids out of the house.”

Mercedes-Benz technician

Unemployed

A rainbow of streamers flutters over a vendor's booth May 5 during El Cinco de Mayo Fiesta and Car Show. The colorful event, now in its 36th year, took place for the first time at Mission Trace Shopping Center. For more photos, see 'Festive Fiesta' on page 22. The Express aims to highlight public art and unique spaces found in Southeast in each edition. Tell us about your favorite hidden gem by emailing features@southeastexpress.org.

Fresh Start Investment Program SERVING TOGETHER TO REVITALIZE SE COLORADO SPRINGS

Summer Fun FREE FAMILY FUN! • ALL AGES EVENTS Mission Trace Community Hub

3031 S. Academy Drive, Colorado Springs, CO 80916

SUMMERFEST June 8 • 12pm-4pm

MOVIE NIGHTS

June 22 and July 26 • 8:30pm-10:30pm

D2BACKTOSCHOOL Visit us at SolidRockCDC.com • Follow us at

August 3 • 10am-2pm

Solid Rock Community Development Corporation

Sponsored by the Solid Rock Community Development Corporation and generously supported by Colorado Health Foundation.

Fresh Start Investment Program is a free business development, entrepreneurship, and personal development program that support the formerly incarcerated and their families to become successful entrepreneurs and employees. We provide a fresh start to individuals that will enable them to become business owners and impact community.

The new business must be in SE Colorado Springs. Assistance in financing will be available upon completion of program.

Next class begins on June 5th at 5:30pm.

Solid Community Corporation CallRock 719.393.7625 for Development more information.

We’re here to build a SE Colorado Springs economy that emphasizes the importance of small business development, affordable housing and infrastructure improvement which results in a healthy community environment.